


Imitable Dangan Ronpa: Overtime Season

by BirdSage



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Fan Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), Fangan, Multimedia, Post-Canon, Post-Dangan Ronpa 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:02:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 54,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23986486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdSage/pseuds/BirdSage
Summary: A stranger to the world wakes up in a place where truth has lost all meaning. But that's not why YOU'RE here, right? You're here for betrayal, bloodshed, and a new Killing Game, where it's open season on another pack of sorry-sack Ultimates! HERE WE GO, TO THE STARS THIS TIME!"But can you tell me...my real name?"--A Fangan full of original characters, set in the original universe of DanganRonpa (that is, not the canon of DRv3), but still referencing and paying homage to all of the series as it chooses. Will include in chapter notes what's coming next, AKA why on Earth I'm being delayed. This is a multimedia project as well, where I will compose tracks paying homage/tribute to one of the best composers of all time- Masafumi Takada.
Kudos: 2





	1. 0.1 - That day... Was it Fall or Spring?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day before.

_...Hm?_

_...Ah, that’s right. Today was…_

???: ...My first day at Hope’s Peak Academy.

The building towered over me, its refurbished appearance speaking to a hard-earned survival against trials I couldn’t even imagine. Someone accidentally ran into me, excited to start their own first day, loudly talking with a friend. I turned, facing them. They had orange-brown hair, spiked up in different directions like some kind of star. Beyond this, they wore something close to the standard Hope’s Peak Academy uniform, dissimilar to those that chose to stand out.

Orange: A-Ah! I’m sorry, that was-

They froze, getting a look at me. Their friend with blue hair then spoke.

Blue: Hey! Don’t be rude to uh… To this person right here! Please forgive her, she was looking back at me, uh…

???: ...Okay.

Orange: R-Right… Sorry… I uh…

???: ...Why do you look scared?

Blue: Y’know when you say it like that, it’s just creepier…

_...I’m creepy, then?_

Orange: Hey, d-don’t come out and say it like that! I… I’m sorry! Uh… Bye now!

Blue: A-Ah! Wait up, Yuki!

The two ran off, and I went back to standing before the gates. Slowly but surely the crowd dispersed, the students going to their individual rooms, but I lingered. Something in me felt uncertain, looking at my pale palms next to my almost gray skin.

_Hyuah?!_

Something hit my shoulder, making me involuntarily suck in air and look to my right. Shorter than me was a man with light brown spiky hair, soft eyes, and a clean-cut suit and tie on. Despite the shock, I relaxed as I saw his face, his hand patting my right shoulder. Everything about him, from his posture to his smell, was soothing.

Soft Man: Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I take it you’re one of our new students, yes?

???: ...Yeah.

Soft Man: You must be **that** **student** … The **Ultimate Transfer Student.**

Something hot burned my cheeks. _Why such a convoluted name…? I’m no one._

Soft Man: I’m the Headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy. You’ve heard of me, yes? What’s your name?

He and I began to walk as we spoke.

Headmaster: So, with you being from a nation outside of Japan, I’ll tell you in particular that if anyone here is giving you issues, speak to me immediately. I will tolerate no bullying or exclusion of any kind in my school, and I want all **Talent** to be properly cultivated and treated equally.

???: Wait.

Headmaster: Hm?

???: ...You say **Talent** , but what kind of **Talent** could someone like me even have?

_The word kept burning into my head, making me feel uneasy each time he put emphasis on it._ **_Talent_ ** _… As if I was anything more than-_

Headmaster: Isn’t it obvious? Your **Talent** is a lot like mine… You had the fortune to come here, to experience a world that normally is barred to most people. The closed nature of Hope’s Peak Academy… I want to erase that. I want **Hope** to be spread to the whole world, in the way that any other kindness is shared. Human connection…

He stopped speaking, and smiled at me.

Headmaster: I apologize. I was going into a bit of a tangent… But the short of it is, even if your **Talent** is simply being an observer of the strange world of the talented, what you see can change so much. The things you experience belong to you alone, and what you share could change just your home, or shape the world itself. I believe in the power of your potential, and I want to cultivate it as much as any other student here. So, please, why don’t you get started on your first day of school?

I didn’t know what he meant by any of this at the time. I just let his words wash over me. _At the end of the day, I’m just a strange foreigner to these kids…_

Violent Girl: Hey! Kombu-head! It’s coming to you!

I blinked, standing still as the volleyball slammed me in the face. Turning to the right, I saw the one girl around my height covering her face, sighing in the gym uniform.

Violent Girl: This is my life now. This is who I have to work with for sports every damn day.

Cool Guy: Hey, it could be worse, Akemi. Our buddy here could be a real wimp, yknow?

Violent Girl: Yeah, that’s YOU, shitbird.

Cool Guy: Oh yeah, you’re right about that. Sorry, you know I’m the Ultimate eSports Manager, not some kind of Olym-pain like you.

He smirked and snickered as he said that last quip, making her groan more.

Clean Guy: My, are all martial artists that vulgar? She seems to need a lesson in manners from us, eh Ichinosuke?

Quiet Guy: …I think it’s fine.

Cold Guy: Quit your chitchat. Let’s get back to the game.

Clean Guy: Jeez, rude as ever, Hideo. Ah well, we oughta get checkmate while we ARE ahead, so I agree!

Violent Girl: One of these days, Matsuken, I’m going to fucking DESTROY that stupid face.

Cool Guy: Hey, now that’s going too far. No threats, right [/E/Z//QI//]?

I blinked, suddenly pulled back to reality. My usual attire was on, not the gym uniform, and I felt the paper of the book in my hands. I rubbed my fingers across its surface, not really reading the pages, but taking in the stimulation of the material when I heard someone speak.

Spooky Girl: So, uh, how are you liking the story everyone?

Gloomy Girl: Eh, you know I prefer anime and light novels… I don’t read old cr-cr-cr… Okay, I was gonna say old crap, but I don’t mean like, CRAP crap, okay?! Like… Y’know! Just… Ugh, I don’t mean it’s bad, Eun-Ji! It’s good! Tch…

Gentle Girl: Eheh.

Gloomy Girl: H-Hey, don’t laugh!

Gentle Girl: But you’re being cute…

Gloomy Girl: Khurgyeehurgh?! D-Don’t say th-that!

The pleasant, soft-voiced girl began to laugh from her belly at the blushing girl next to her, and I felt an elbow tap into me.

Grim Boy: Would you mind assisting me in my travel to the cafe counter? I’m feeling peckish and somewhat fatigued from getting here on my own…

???: Ah, yeah, I can push you…

I stood up to grab his wheelchair handles. 

Spooky Girl: ...So we can discuss the “Gyuwon Sahwa” after, yes…?

Grim Boy: Only if you can rein in the lust filling the room…

Spooky Girl: Tch… Oi. Quit your kissing, we’re supposed to READ in the book club! HEY!

Grim Boy: Come now, [Z//ZZEQQ//]. I’ll treat you to something too, I’m feeling awfully generous.

I blinked, walking forward. The cart was lighter than I expected-

Small Girl: A-Ahugh!

???: A-Ah, sorry!

I knelt down, helping up the girl who I bumped into. She looked fearful as ever.

Small Girl: N-No… I… It was me…

???: But I-

Brutish Actor: Both of you, relax.

The giant in face paint smiled.

Small Girl: B-But… I uh...

Brutish Actor: How about we say it was my fault? Would that make it work?

Small Girl: H-Huh?! I, um!

Gentle Actor: Hey hey hey, you’re scaring her! Toki, you big lug.

The brute in face paint gave a hearty laugh.

Gentle Actor: C’mon, Sankero. We just need you to wrap up the last few performances, and then that’s it for the festival! And you know where to go with that, yeah?

I nodded.

Gentle Actor: Let’s get it in gear, folks! I gotta get suited up, old Skye’s counting on all of us to see his vision realized. It’s up to the crew to follow the Director’s instructions to make something perfect, yeah? We can do it!

His smile was comforting, and we all immediately scrambled to our places. I made it to the rest of the tech area with a now frog-masked partner, and managed the lighting. Before the final performance by our actors was a hip-hop performance. Something about it felt nostalgic.

_...Enka, this is called._

Singer, in Japanese: A cold, hard day, running all night. The deepest, darkest sights, breaking me. I hope for rest, a warm bed. A moment, to relax, with coffee. Mariya, Mariya, Oh Mariya. With you, right besides me.

A transition from the smooth drums to something harsh, almost cruel, and electronic. A different student came on stage, half-dancing with each bound to the evolving beat.

_...English?_

Rapper, in English: Yo, check it. Ev’day we breakin’ backs, workin’ ass off, tryna see that future. We ain’t got time, no time, no hope, no future nor life. We gotta work, as one, for one, for all, altogether now. Fuck it, ain’t got much left. Hope never gonna break these dark clouds, so why should I go invite despair? All I can do is run, runnin’, keep runnin’, hope I find you again. Mariya, I’m gonna find ya’!

Rapper, in Japanese: Mariya, I swore I’d find ya’! After this nightmare’s done, we’ll hold each other close!

As if on cue, the rapper and singer made motions like a romantic dance, the singer leaning far back in their arms.

Singer, in Japanese: Without you, I am lost, oh Mariya. But through the people with me, I am free. Being lost and free, or alive and trapped without hope. Oh Mariya, I will say goodnight.

Rapper, in Japanese: Like the prophet [E//Z//Q//], we gonna see it through!

Leaving the stage was the headmaster, waving to the crowd of students gathered for the assembly. I looked to my right, and saw a girl. She looked a lot like me, with a tall but thin frame, grayish-brown skin that looked like tree bark, pale-brown eyes, and curled, dark-brown tendrils for hair. She was significantly more clean-cut than myself, wearing a white button-up with ruffled cuffs, tucked into a black skirt with suspenders. The button-up revealed a sort of medical outfit underneath, and she sat there hugging her knees, with black stockings and bare feet. She sighed.

Strange Girl: Stopped listening to that trashy music and finally noticed, huh?

???: ...Huh?

Strange Girl, pointing: Don’t you see? They’re coming.

Men in black suits had taken the stage, preparing to speak.

Strange Girl: Everything you know is going to snap back to reality. This little trip down memory lane… It was pointless, you know.

I stayed silent, listening to her speak.

Strange Girl: I’m surprised you wanted to relive that. Pretending to have friends, or to understand love. Even that nonsense music that night… You’re a real idiot, aren’t you?

???: Hey…

Strange Girl: What?

Her glare pierced into my soul, making me hesitate.

???: ...What’s your name?

Strange Girl: ...If we meet again, I’ll tell you.

???: ...I look forward to that.

Strange Girl: Tch… You’re a damn weirdo.

I smiled at her as the new administration began to speak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the smallest the chapters get. Dig in the next one is nearly four times long.


	2. DAY 1 - WELCOME TO YOUR DESPAIR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's always the same.

???: ...Hnrgh?

I blinked, feeling the polyester fabric under my hand. Sitting up, I realized I was on a bed, in some familiar-feeling sterile environment.

_...Familiar? _

The room was rather ordinary, looking like an almost military cabin with a desk at one end and the bed I was sitting on at the other. A bathroom took up a corner adjacent to the closet, and in between them was the exit. With nothing to do, I decided to leave. I reached for the door, but stopped- a key was sitting on a shelf by the entrance. I took it, and finally stepped outside.

???: Ah.

I blinked, looking at the fifteen other people who seemed varying degrees of confused, nervous, or agitated, leaving their own room in the hall. Splitting it in the center was the start of another hallway on one side, and some strange extra room no one was exiting from. Suddenly, someone spoke.

Regal One: Well now… This is a surprise.

Violent Girl: Who the fuck are all of you? Wait… Fuck, I think I know you!

Cool Guy: Hey, easy now. You can’t come out swingin’ like that. We’re all as stressed out as you are.

Gloomy Girl: H-Hey, don’t you lump me in with that…ogre!

Sharp-Eyed Girl: Y’know, that sounds offensive, but it’s more just confusing.

Gloomy Girl: Sh-Shut up, you harpy!

Bright Girl: Hey now, let’s not fight!

Clean Guy: Yes please, settle down. We all should focus on clearing the uncertainties, understanding what’s going on, and-

Skull Mask: I think you are reaching too far. We need to be alert, more than anything else.

The masked figure’s words made everyone freeze.

Skull Mask: Anything could happen. We are most likely in grave danger, here.

Spacesuit: ...You may be right about that, stranger.

Grim Guy: Ah, so someone may come to put us out of our confused misery, then?

Shaking Guy: D-Don’t talk like that, bro! It’s not even funny!

Gentle Girl: L-Let’s not go to places like that...

Large Guy: Please, just… Stop! We need to just calm down and figure out what’s going on!

With the tension coming to silence everyone, the group looked around at both themselves, and the sterile hallway. Except for one, who spoke up.

Regal One: Tut tut. We are most disappointed in the peons’ behavior. Scared, like rats are you? Like the moth who avoids the flame, We shall lead the way!

With a flourish, they threw a hand back, walking towards the hallway on geta, clopping with each step. The rest of the group was disturbed enough by this to consider following the small, charismatic form clad in a stylish black kimono. The feather motif on it made it bounce with a magical look, almost hypnotic as I looked down at-

Spooky Girl: Hey, you. Listen.

I was snapped from my focus by a tug on my sleeve. I looked, and saw a girl only a little bit below my eyeline flinch, stepping back as I moved my face close to hers. She frowned at me, and then sighed.

Spooky Girl: ...You’re rude.

???: ...I’m sorry.

I cocked my head at her. She shook her head, sighing again.

Spooky Girl: I’m only saying this because we’re alone in this hall. I… I know you. I know you for sure, and I feel like I know everyone else, but especially you. I also know I can trust you. So I’ll tell you this- I’m Eun-Ji Han.  **The Ultimate Historian** at Hope’s Peak Academy.

She grimaced at my blank stare.

Eun-Ji: W-Well?! Aren’t you going to tell me your name?!

???: I don’t remember it.

Eun-Ji: E-Eh?! Tch… If you can’t remember it, then…

Her red eyes looked down, in thought. I noticed how she looked, seeing her black tunic over a lavender turtleneck, with dark stockings pulled into matching lavender loafers. A black choker covered her neck while her glasses and purple bangs covered her face. Her hair behind her neck had a shade of green on the interior. As I looked back up at her face, she was frowning again, harder.

Eun-Ji: What are you, some kind of pervert?   
???: I’m sorry…

Eun-Ji: Look just… How about this. You see that name tag on your shirt, yeah? “Z…” it just tapers off. We can come up with a name for you based on that. For now you’re Zee, like the English letter right? Makes enough sense.

She smiled, looking proud of herself.

Zee: Alright.

Eun-Ji: So, Zee, I need you to tell me. Do you remember your own  **Talent?** As the one person I trust, I think we should be communicating.

Zee: ... **Transfer Student** .

The words of the headmaster danced in my head.

Eun-Ji took a moment to think, chewing on my words with a frown, a cocked eyebrow, and a sigh.

Eun-Ji: ...That’s dumb, but I guess it makes sense. So, Zee, we need-

Her words were suddenly interrupted by something that made me feel shivers go down my spine. Not the crackling of a speaker I couldn’t see, but rather the voice that came out of it. It felt unsettling in what it invoked, the malice dripping from every syllable, and most importantly the sense of danger it filled me with. My flight instinct kicked in, and I instinctively brought a hand tight around Eun-Ji’s. A monitor I didn’t notice flickered on, its static outlines projecting some strange shape.

_...A bear? _

Monitor: Uh… Hm. Testing! Yo yo yo, mic check! This is on, right? Ahem. Would all you guys please wake up and get to the lecture hall on this floor? I think it’s this floor… Oh yes, please hurry your little tuckus down here! Anyone who’s even five minutes late is gonna get me VERY angry. Upupupupupu!

As fast as it cut into our conversation, so too did it go.

Eun-Ji: ...Z-Zee.

I looked at her. She flinched.

Eun-Ji: I-It hurts. Your hand…

I noticed how fast I was breathing and shaking, and how hard I was squeezing her hand. Feeling my face heat up, I let go of her and winced, looking away.

Zee: I-I uh… I’m sorry… I was scared…

Eun-Ji: I… It’s fine. Just… I mean, you have to be my age, right? Don’t act like some child.

I stayed quiet, nodding. She led the way out. Exiting the hall of bedrooms, we went into a shorter one which opened to a wide space. Two doors flanked us, while the rest of the group seemed to be entering a specific, large room at the far end of the space. As we walked through, we stepped over the emblem of Hope’s Peak.

Cool Guy: Hey! You two were laggin’ behind, you okay?

Eun-Ji: We’re here now. What’s it matter?

Cool Guy: Uh, I guess, but… Well, worried for you two, y’know?

Eun-Ji: …

She walked in, and I followed, looking helplessly at the laid-back guy who let us in. The room- lecture hall- itself was quite spacious, filled with seating and with a sort of center stage at the bottom of stairs. Everyone uncomfortably filed into certain seats, scattered. That’s when it all began.

???: Upupupu! Looks like everyone’s here! Great!

Suddenly, as if the floor was just a suggestion, a strange figure leapt from a panel, which spun comically before it landed gracefully on one pawed foot. It was a bear, with half of it being white and the other half being black with some terrifying red bolt for an eye.

Bear: Greetings, wonderful class of mine! Are you prepared for the rest of your miserable lives? Hahahaha!

Everyone was taken aback by it. The cartoonish voice, the theatrics, the appearance of the thing… What could we even hope to think about it? It was like some kind of madness just finally revealed itself in this already insane situation.

Bear: ...Ahem. Anyways, I am Monokuma! Your new acting Director in this shelter! Here to lead you to mutual safety in killing!

_...What? _

Monokuma:  **The Killing Game…** Ah, a time-honored tradition! I think it’s a great time to bring it back! People are forgetting just why the  **Killing Game** is so fun! You kids agree, right?

Large Guy: Excuse me… What are you- No, What on Earth is going on?

Monokuma: Jeez, meathead, didn’t I say enough?  **Killing Game** time! You read your rulebooks, yeah?

Everyone stared blankly at the bear. It blanched, realizing something.

Monokuma: Oh dear. You don’t know anything, do you. I mean… Th-That means something worked, but…

Sharp-eyed Girl: Wait, what worked?

Monokuma: Hey! Don’t get snappy with me! Don’t you guys realize your position here?! You’re not the one’s in charge. Anyways, I guess I’ll just have to ad-lib a little… Ahem! Check under your seats! You should have a special gift there.

Everyone slowly and cautiously reached under their seats, and we all were left looking at the same thing. A black device, small enough to fit in your pocket, with a glass screen and strange brand logo on the back.

Monokuma: Classy, innit? These are your  **e-Handbooks** , e-Books for short! You’ll be using these a lot, so get use to ‘em! Look at them as you turn it on.

Gloomy Girl: I-Isn’t that...biometrics? Face-scan?

Monokuma: Well, duh. That’s how it locks to you.

Spacesuit: Well, about that, I see no less than three of us being a bit challenged in that department, Director Monokuma.

Skull Mask, nodding: I refuse to take off my mask.

Violent Girl: Wait, which one of you freaks is number three?

Frog Mask: …

Violent Girl: Jeez, you’re tiny!

Frog Mask, shuddering: ...KERO.

Monokuma: ...

Bright Girl: Wah! Was that a robot?

Regal One: Come now, it was only the mask!

Eun-Ji: These idiots will say everything except their names.

Cool Guy: Haha, don’t be that way, everyone’s gettin’ the jitters out...

Monokuma: SHUT UP!

The group all went quiet.

Monokuma: If you have a mask, then it’ll just imprint on your mask instead! Okay?! Fine?! Good! Turn on your stupid e-Books!

Doing as we were told, everyone went silent again.

**_e-Handbook registered. Please input your name._ **

Everyone typed into the virtual keyboard, except for myself.

Monokuma: Good, good. Fill the information out-

Zee: Excuse me.

Monokuma: What is it?!

Zee: I don’t really have a name.

The group’s focus was now on me. Instinctively, I tried making myself smaller, but it only made their gazes feel more choking. I looked down to my feet, my left hand scraping for something to hold onto, around Eun-Ji’s direction.

_...Why did she smell so familiar? _

Monokuma: Hey! Eyes up here, kiddos! Ahem! Now, uh… Daddy Longlegs! With all the seaweed hair!

I blinked, brought back to reality.

Zee: M-Me?

Monokuma walked up the stairs, and looked me dead in the eyes. After a moment of appraisal, Monokuma spoke.

Monokuma: There’s that “Z” on that old nametag you’re wearing. Anyone know of a good name starting with “Z?” Eh?

Silence fell over the room.

Cool Guy: U-Uh… I play a character named Zelsamel, but I don’t think that’s exactly somethin’ you’d want for yourself, y’know?

Monokuma: Why on Earth would we name a living human being after a fighting game character! You actual goofball! That’s going on your permanent record.

Clean Guy: “Form is void, void is form.” Zeku. A proper Japanese-sounding name yes?

Regal One: Hm… We’ll allow it. Sounds fitting for that one.

Zeku: ...S-So, how do I spell that in here?

Eun-Ji: I guess I’ll help you set that up.

Monokuma: Awww, you’re all working together so good already! Anyways, now that that’s settled, HURRY IT UP! Time’s a wastin’ and I gotta tell you what you need to know!

Violent Girl: Hold it… What the fuck. What the fuck, what the ACTUAL FUCK is anyone doing?! I’ve been bitin’ my tongue here because I’m just so fucking lost I don’t know what the fuck to say but I’ll say it- what the FUCK IS GOING ON?! Why the hell are we listening to a fuckin’ chew toy bark orders at us?! Why are we just treatin’ this like-

Gloomy Girl: Sh-Shut up you overgrown bull! If you get it mad, then-

Cool Guy: Woah woah, don’t go name-calling-

Violent Girl: Yeah, you shit! Don’t think you can say that and-

Cool Guy: You need to calm down too!

Gloomy Girl: Fuck you both, I’m right! Shut up!

Violent Girl: I will fucking pulverize you-

The sound of metal unsheathing itself and a stomping silenced them. The giant with the odd skull mask revealed a sabre in one hand and held a long nodachi in the other, both pointed at a different girl. They stood precariously on a chair, speaking with a cold tone.

Skull Mask: I suggest you both settle down.

Silence fell, the tension thick. Suddenly, that laughter again.

Monokuma: Upupupu… Upupupupupu! You’re all so funny! I haven’t even explained a thing, and you’re already gonna kill each other for me! This whole  **Killing Game** business sure is interesting!

Large Guy:  **“Killing Game...”** You said it before, but what is it? And why are we here?

Monokuma: Easy there, kingpin. First, unlock. Your. e-Books. Or I will lose my little Ursoidea mind and shift into full mad Ursidae mode, you little shits!

Menacingly, the bear revealed a clawed hand. We all began to set up the e-Handbooks, with Eun-Ji helping me quickly after she finished her own. First was the name, “Zeku.” With that input, the screen flashed again.

**_Welcome, Zeku. Please wait while we collect your records…_ **

A long pause, for an eternity.

e-Handbook:  **ERROR! ERROR! Biometric scanning failed. Student records not found. If this error is incorrect, please contact administration with this device.**

Monokuma: ...It’s just one thing after another with you, huh? But don’t worry! Let me see!

The bear jumped to my seat, snatching the e-Book from my shaking hands. I felt a whimper escape my lips, eyes refusing to focus on anything.

Monokuma: Here you go!

I blinked, seeing the e-Book before me. It was open on a sort of confirmation page, showing a profile shot of my face in a context I don’t ever remember. My hair was a curled, gnarled mess of black-brown, my gray-brown eyes barely visible. My skin was a pale dark brown, and my outfit underneath poked out, being a white button-up with a ruffled neck over some blue medical-looking outfit, held together by black suspenders. Seeing it, I instinctively tried to put down a specific wild fringe of hair on the top of my head, which refused to go down. The image made me feel more and more uncomfortable as I looked at my blank expression and appearance. I looked to Monokuma, who was already heading to the front. Eun-Ji cautiously leaned over me and hit the e-Book.

**_Is this your profile?_ **

**_> >Yes_ **

Monokuma: Now then, I want you to go to the menu option titled “Rules.” We’ll read them together, kiddos!

**< Main Menu >**

**> >RULES**

**< RULE NUMBER 1 >**

**Monokuma is the Acting Director of the Hope Survival Shelter, Director of the Killing Game, and therefore also your Acting Headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy. His word is law, and it is final, even if it may contradict the rules established here. No ifs, ands, or buts, unless you want your asses turned to fertilizer.**

**< RULE NUMBER 2 >**

**You are forever a resident of the Hope Survival Shelter, excluding those who participate in the Killing Game.**

**< RULE NUMBER 3 >**

**As a resident of the Hope Survival Shelter, you must follow Monokuma’s word as law, ensure a clean living environment, and obey curfew rules. Nighttime is 10 PM, and certain facilities will be locked, such as the dining hall, until morning, at 7 AM.**

**< RULE NUMBER 4 >**

**If one wishes to leave the Hope Survival Shelter, they must participate in the Killing Game. The rules of the Killing Game are as follows:**

**< RULE NUMBER 5 >**

**In order to qualify for escapee, you must become the Blackened by killing another resident of the Hope Survival Shelter.**

**< RULE NUMBER 6 >**

**No more than two murder victims can exist at a given time. In addition, there is only one Blackened- accomplices are not allowed…**

**< RULE NUMBER 7 >**

**...Except in the case of redeeming the Accomplice License, which must be found within the Hope Survival Shelter and presented to Monokuma at the time of becoming the Blackened.**

**< RULE NUMBER 8 >**

**In order to escape, one must successfully navigate a Class Trial, whose own rules will be further explained if necessary.**

**< RULE NUMBER 9 >**

**The rules are always subject to revision and addition.**

Monokuma: Are they clear enough for you kids? Open forum time! To make it fun, however, only one question per each of you! We still need our grand introductions, after all! Especially when only one of you has said their name.

The look Monokuma gave me was dripping with malice. Everyone else shifted around nervously as Monokuma’s glare went across the crowd.

Monokuma: YOU! Name, and your Talent, as a member of Hope’s Peak Academy!

Skull Mask: ...Roland. Roland Forbaid. The  **Ultimate Knight…** Though I am undeserving of the title.

Suddenly, as if on cue, the lights went dark. The far end of the wall where Monokuma stood flashed with a projection of Roland’s profile, with a photograph of him in the middle of some kind of gallant action, mask still on.

#  **THE RADIANT DESPAIR GAME CONTESTANTS!**

**ROLAND FORBAID - ULTIMATE KNIGHT**

They had striking silver-blue eyes under the mask, which was an imposing horse skull with a mane of golden blond hair dancing around a face that was covered by dark gray cloth. They wore medieval plate armor over a white tunic, a dark cape flourished with some regal seal on it. One hand held the ornate sabre, and the other held the long nodachi, wielded in a very professional manner. Completing the look was gauntlets and equally armored boots. What skin did poke out from their elbows and neck was pale.

Roland: ...I suppose I must ask, why we here?

Monokuma: Just to suffer.

Roland: ...No, why are us in particular the ones trapped here?

Monokuma: Tut tut tut! I gave you an answer already. But since I’m feeling generous, I’ll just say that you bastards had it coming. Satisfied?

Roland: …

Violent Girl: Wait, hang on! That ain’t enough. The hell do you mean-

Monokuma: Since you’re so impatient, how about we put the spotlight on YOU!

The projection in the back changed. Instead, it was the tall and violent girl now.

**AKEMI TANAKA - ULTIMATE MMA FIGHTER**

Her form was low, in a menacing stance, as if ready to tackle some offscreen target. Instead of looking angry, however, she had a terrifying grin, baring fangs. Her angular orange-red eyes were met with brutal red eyebrows. A wavy pompadour hung from her head, burning red, with a bright red tengu mask strapped on the side of the back of her head. Beneath her sharp teeth was a breathing mask, black, which divided her face from her body as it covered her chin. She wore a red school uniform top, hanging off her arms and held by a black tie, with only a black sports bra covering her upper body. Over a jagged scar along her developed abdominals began her pants, like some kind of baggy beige sweatpants tied by a rope, which were loose and revealed her feet. Her feet were bandaged up just like her hands, with the white tape put on haphazardly.

Akemi: Tch…! Dammit, t-take that down! I…

Akemi herself looked away from the projection, covering her mouth with the mask as if trying to hide.

Monokuma: Oooh? Upupupu, getting shy now? C’mon, ask your question! You were so bold before!

Akemi: Hrgh… Fuck you. Fine. What the hell do you mean by us havin’ it coming?

Monokuma: Hmm… Well, I mean what I meant! You all got on somebody’s shitlist, I guess!

Akemi: H-Huh?! Who the fu-

Monokuma: Next!

Akemi: H-Hey! You’re not ignoring me!

Monokuma: Remember in the rules where it said my word is law?

The malice was clear in his voice.

Akemi: ...I can eat you for breakfast.

Her voice was low, and her posture had changed as she stepped towards the stairs. Everyone seemed to hold their breath, frozen watching this unfold.

Monokuma: That’s ok. Bear gives people some very explosive shitters, y’know!

Akemi moved closer, lowering her center of gravity.

Monokuma: ...W-Wait, you’re serious. Hahaha, oops! DEPLOY SECRET WEAPON!

Akemi: EAT THIS!

As she lunged, he clapped his paws. The light was blinding. Our ears rang, and eventually when reality came to be again, we saw it. Akemi was collapsed, her eyes glazed over in unconsciousness. Monokuma was pacing back and forth, and then slowly his voice came to be clear.

Monokuma: ...o remember, that’s your only warning, folks! Do anything else to try to threaten me or go against my ruling after I’ve put my foot down and you’re getting more than just a little naptime! Comprende, right?

Everyone was quiet, looking at the loud giant of a girl breathing faintly in unconsciousness as she was sprawled backwards over the stairs of the lecture hall.

Monokuma: Good. NEXT!

The projection on the wall changed again, this time showing the shortest one in the room.

**AGITO KAN - ULTIMATE DEMONIC VESSEL**

They stood boldly, holding matching fans, pointing one closed at the camera. Their smile framed a sickly pale face, white bangs in a very traditional cut making a curtain around their head, the interior of the hair along their neck being a stark red. A single bang, flying back, shows the inverse, red over their ear. One eye was silver, while the other was crimson. Tying their head together was a visor-like headpiece, with a black bird beak in the center of it. Their flowing kimono was striking black, with a stitching of a wind motif along it, while the white obi’s knot drifted into patterns like two wings. The geta were always visible, being quite long and giving the small frame almost half a foot of height.

Agito: Hmph. Yes, yes, that is Us. We detest the angle! It makes Our form look pathetic!

Agito pointed a finger angrily at the bear, who shrugged.

Monokuma: Yeah, yeah. Everyone’s a critic.

Eun-Ji: Wait…  **“Demonic Vessel?”**

Agito: That is correct! We, in all Our radiance, are the second coming! We are your grim messiah, mortals! Bow down and prostrate- maybe We will feel willing to spare you! Ahahahaha!

Monokuma: ...You done yet, short stacks?

Agito: Tch! Why you…! Fine! You owe us a question, so We will demand it. Who put Us here?

Monokuma: Upupupu… A bold question. Simple! It’s  **Hope’s Peak Academy,** of course! Who else would want to preserve hope at all costs?

Agito was silenced with shock for a moment, but began grumbling, angry.

Agito: That...is lunacy! No one contains Us without Our permission! We demand you release Us!

Monokuma: Can it, short stacks. We’ve got lots more to go through in this presentation! Anyone wanna volunteer? You’ll get a bonus question!

Agito: W-We were not offered-!

Monokuma: CAN IT!

A hand shot up.

Spacesuit: Kazuto Romero.  **The Ultimate Pathologist.** I trust that’s sufficient, my good bear?

Monokuma: Oh! Handsome AND polite! Upupupu, that’s a gold star, kid!

**KAZUTO ROMERO - ULTIMATE PATHOLOGIST**

The projection flashed, showing the suited up Kazuto stepping from a strange smoke. All that was visible of their face was a single purple eye, flashing almost menacingly as they held their arms open. The spacesuit-like outfit they wore was bright red, the helmet cloudy, with there being a gunmetal casing around the face, gloves, and boots. Beyond that, the suit was very utilitarian in design and shape.

Kazuto: Now, for the first of my two questions, I ask, just who are you Monokuma?

Despite the gravity of the question, Kazuto’s tone was clear and confident, as if they were making a business deal. Monokuma answered in a chipper tone.

Monokuma: Why, I am Monokuma! Your Acting Headmaster and Director of Hope’s Peak Academy and the Hope Survival Shelter. I made that clear, didn’t I? Oh, also that was your first question.

Kazuto: ...I see. Then I think I will reserve my second question, of which you will no doubt give an honest answer to.

Monokuma: Hmhmhm… Careful now. You’re almost sounding like you’re trying to snare me into some weird plan!

Kazuto: Never fear, never fear. I will follow your rules, unlike my...friend, there.

Kazuto waved a hand to Akemi, who was being picked up by two others.

Monokuma: Oho? What do you think you’re doing?

Large Guy: Ah… W-Well, we just wanted to get her uh, to a s-seat…

Monokuma: She broke the rules! And you’re trying to make her comfortable?!

A menacing glare chilled the room, making him shake, but the tension was broken by the other one carrying Akemi’s limp form.

Clean Guy: No, of course not! We simply wanted to clear your path, sir Monokuma! She was hard to step around, yes? Let us take care of our problem child, yes?

Gentle Girl: That’s…

Monokuma: Hey! We’re talkin’ here! You wanna say somethin’, chump?!

Gentle Girl: A-Ah! N-No, I…

Monokuma: Please, go ahead! Enlighten the class with what you were gonna say!

The presentation on the far wall changed.

**HOMURA SHIRAISHI - ULTIMATE NEUROSURGEON**

Unlike the dynamic poses of the others, Homura’s profile showed a much more candid moment, with her stumbling and dropping a preserved human brain from a jar labeled “SUBJECT ISAIAH,” a panicked expression on her face. She had gray-green eyes with sad eyebrows, a messy mop of green hair, and a bit of an overbite’s incisors. With a heavyset build, she rounded out her scientific-looking white coat, with a red, yellow, and green kimono of a striking design and yellow obi underneath. A leather bag was over her shoulder, loose with the momentum of her tripping.

Monokuma: So, kiddo?! Got something to say?!

Homura, tearing up: Hgh… I-I’m sorry, sir…

Monokuma, baring claw: No, go ahead! Say it! You don’t get a question until I hear it!

Homura: Hgh… C-Calling Akemi a “problem child” is mean… I j-just wanted to say that, I’m sorry...

The room was quiet, until suddenly…

Monokuma: Upupupu, you’re right! A gold star for the goodie-two-shoes! You got anything to say for yourself, blinder-bangs?!

Clean Guy: H-Huh? I… Uh, forgive me!

Monokuma: HAHAHAHA! You’re all so stuck up! I wish that big idiot didn’t try anything, she was more fun than you all shaking like leaves. So, yokozuna, what’s your question for me?

Homura, visibly startled: E-Eh?! Uh… I…

Monokuma: What? I don’t have all day!

Homura: ...H-How did you know about that?

Monokuma: Hm?

Homura: “Yokozuna” is...my parent’s nickname for me.

After a delay, Monokuma made a carefree expression.

Monokuma: I don’t know what ‘that’ is, so I’m ignoring the question! You wasted it!

Homura: H-Hey, but… I said it! H-How did you know about the “yokozuna” thing?!

Monokuma: Hey! Blinder-bangs! You’re up!

The clean-cut guy and large guy had put Akemi down next to the frog-masked one as he was called out.

Clean Guy: M-Me?!

**KENICHI MATSUDAIRA - ULTIMATE SHOGI CHAMPION**

Posed boldly, slamming a piece down on the board. His eyes were barely visible, filled with a cold, fiery gold determination, while his black hair stayed in a traditional sort of bob, the bangs parted to reveal his stoic, soft face. This face was betrayed by a strong jawline and neck that thickened with muscle, the hand holding the shogi piece being rugged and thick. He wore a simple outfit, a white kimono with red hakama and socks slipped into geta.

Monokuma: By the way, you prefer “Matsuken,” yes?   
Matsuken, on guard: ...Preferably with friends.

Monokuma: But I’m your friend, right? My feelings are hurt…

Matsuken: You are...the Director, meaning the equal reciprocation of respect and trust that friendship has cannot exist. You hold power over me, and I must respect that above friendship, yes?

Monokuma: ...Jeez, the file was right, you do love to hear yourself jibber-jabber. Anyways, yes you are right! Also, that was your question!

Matsuken: G-Gah?!

Monokuma: AKYAHAHAHAHAHA! Your face is priceless!

Matsuken looked away from Monokuma, ashamed, and speaking to us.

Matsuken: I… Forgive me, everyone. I failed to get us any valuable information…

Monokuma: How about I play it nice. Who wants to get TWO questions, again~! Volunteer!

Sharp-eyed Girl: Me.

Bright Girl: S-So fast!

The projection changed with a clap of Monokuma’s paws.

**SEIKO ICHIKAWA - ULTIMATE JOURNALIST**

With a grin, she held a camera in her hands while kneeling down, as if caught in the middle of figuring something out. Her button-like eyes had violet-red irises, with her smirk revealing buck teeth. Messy, short blond bangs danced around her head. A brown postboy cap and black glasses completed the look of her head, while a black t-shirt with some kind of logo was under a too-large purple sweater. Jeans, purple sneakers, and a brown satchel completed her look.

Seiko: …

Monokuma: Hm?

Seiko: …

Monokuma: What?

Seiko: ...Hm.

Monokuma: Hmph! What are you gonna ask?!

Seiko: …Hm?

Monokuma: You’re doing this on purpose! Spit it out!

Seiko: Why can’t we remember anything?

Compared to her strange, almost taunting silence, Monokuma’s pause was colder, yet boiling with a dark grit. He eventually spoke, voice low.

Monokuma: You sure are living up to your title, Snooper. Are you sure you didn’t just wake up funny?

Seiko: I’ve spoken with others here. Despite some of us vaguely recognizing each other, we can’t remember names, where we met, no details, just vague feelings. So, answer my question.

Monokuma: ...Hm. Well, the reason for that is amnesia, silly! You all must’ve had a real traumatic event! Like, a car crash, or, I dunno-

Seiko: Answer the question “why,” otherwise I’m left to assume its incriminating. Perhaps you or someone you work with is capable of tampering with people’s brains like that.

Monokuma: Tch…! Cutting straight to the core, huh? How mean! Shouldn’t we go on a couple dates first, get to know each other before you-

Seiko: Answer me.

Monokuma: ...Don’t get ahead of yourself kid. You think I need to answer that?

Seiko: Refusing to answer gives me what I need to know too, y’know.

Monokuma: Hmph. So saying nothing is the same as saying something… Sigh…

Gloomy Girl: D-Did you just say “sigh” aloud?

Monokuma: QUIET YOU! WE’RE TRYING TO BUILD UP THE TENSION AND MYSTERY!

The girl who spoke shrunk back in her seat.

Monokuma: ...Little Miss Seiko. What if I told you who it was?

Seiko: …

Monokuma: Upupu… Tantalizing, isn’t it? Don’t you wanna know?

Seiko: ...Tell me in private.

Monokuma: ...Eh?

Seiko: Let’s say you tell everyone. That would mean anyone could take this information, and choose to...harm that person out of revenge, if they happened to be one of us. Alternatively, they are not among us, and therefore the information is worthless except to me, who is innately curious about that information. Regardless, nothing wanted comes of that choice. But if you only tell me, that means I have value, on some level, to the more...curious types around here. Rather than a simple crime of passion, motivated by revenge against one who you frame to take the blame, there’s intrigue. Maybe I’m interrogated or tortured for this information, maybe I simply share it. Regardless, the mystery is thicker if it’s not publicly shared, yes?

Monokuma: Ohoho? You want to make the game more fun?

Without missing a beat, and keeping a poker face that didn’t betray any emotion, Seiko answered.

Seiko: In a sense, yes.

Monokuma: Hehehe… Then both your questions can be answered in private! What’s the next one!

Seiko: This one I want to have the whole class hear, actually.

Monokuma: Oh, I thought you were going to be super fun.

Seiko: This will be fun for you, trust me.

She paused, then stood up, projecting her voice.

Seiko: Are you working with or manipulating any of the people in this room to be a sort of tool or spy for you? Simply say yes or no, don’t want to spoil the surprise after all.

Monokuma: ...Clever. That IS fun! Before I answer that, can I just ask, why are you such a good noodle with old Mister Monokuma?

Seiko, smirking: ...Hmph. Who knows. I could be playing tactically against you, or playing it vaguely for your own ends as a spy myself; does answering that really help make this game any more fun?

Monokuma: Upupupu, you’re a very interesting one indeed! Alright, I’ll bite. I am indeed working with or manipulating someone or people in this room to my own ends. How? Now, that’s a different question!

Seiko nodded, and then sat back in her seat near myself and Eun-Ji. The room seemed to focus on her, speaking in such an unsettling way and stirring up things inciting worry.

Monokuma: Next… No takers? Hm… Okay then. YOU!

A point of a paw, and the room flickered dark again as the presentation changed.

**KOJI INOUE - ULTIMATE GAME DEVELOPER**

The grim-faced boy in the wheelchair was projected. Looking at an array of screens, their pale features were reflected in each. Somewhat lean, they had unsettlingly cold lime eyes under a curtain of messy raven-black hair, wearing thick rectangular glasses. Their top was a plain white button-up that was halfway tucked in, and halfway loose. The left sleeve was pulled back, showing a black wrist stabilizer. Covering their lower half was what looked like a green robe or blanket. Under the desk was their legs poking out under the green cloth, wearing white slip-on shoes that were loosely put on their limp feet.

Monokuma: Any questions, my friend?

Koji: No. I’m not your friend.

Shaking Guy: B-Bro, y-you shouldn’t-!

Monokuma: Don’t interrupt us!

Shaking Guy: E-Eieh! Sorry!

Koji: Actually, why not let him be introduced next? It seems sensible.

Shaking Guy: H-Huh?!

Koji: Relax, brother. Why act so paranoid?

Koji kept a poker face as Monokuma made a malicious grin, then clapped.

**JIRO INOUE - ULTIMATE GAMER**

With a donut in his mouth, he was furiously focusing on three different game consoles at once. With a less sickly but still pale complexion like his brother, he also had lime eyes and black hair, the difference being the eyes were more tired and the hair was short and spiky. Loose yellow sweatpants and sandals contrasted an oversized, monster-stylized blue hoodie that had ears and fangs on the hood. Various brands and award pins decorated the hoodie’s upper arms.

Jiro: H-Hrgh… U-Uh… Hi everyone…

Monokuma: Question.

Jiro: A-Ah?

Koji: If you have anything you’d like to know from our captor, make it clear now.

Jiro: ...W-Will we be fed and taken care of and stuff?

Monokuma: Well, that should be obvious since I want you to kill each other not starve out, but yes! You will be fed and given the amenities. Next!

Jiro: B-Bro, that was-

Monokuma: ENOUGH CHIT-CHAT! NEXT!

Jiro, in contrast to his brother Koji, was shaking in his seat, shrinking back. Koji meanwhile scanned the room, and caught my eye. They blinked, and then continued to look over everyone.

**DAIKI MAEDA - ULTIMATE FISHERMAN**

Reeling back a massive tuna, his face was full of fiery determination as his arms bulged to pull up the enormous fish. His skin tone was a bronzed glow, tanlines showing from around his shirt’s opening at the base of the neck. With golden eyes complementing them, his hair is an orange-red spiky mullet, with some facial hair dusting his chin. On top of his whole outfit was a yellow fisherman’s jacket, open to show blue overalls and a white shirt underneath. He wore long boots and completed the look with a twisted hachimaki around his head, colored white and red.

Daiki: ...Hm. So I get a question to ask. Th-That’s just me confirming, by the way, ahaha…

Monokuma: Yes, yes, yes. Get on with it. We don’t got all day! There’s deadlines!

Daiki: ...Deadlines for what?

Monokuma, sweating: H-Hm?

Daiki: What are these deadlines for?

Monokuma: ...Oops.

Daiki, cautious: ...Answer, please.

Monokuma: Well, you know, important things we’re doing backstage! Upupu!

Daiki: ...I see.

Monokuma: S-So uh, next!

**CHIKA ITOU - ULTIMATE MUSIC PRODUCER**

Surrounded by speakers and in front of a complex setup of electronic devices, the tiny frog-masked girl made her appearance, with an LED screen behind her displaying the text “3KERO.” Her frog mask was more like a helmet completely covering her head, in a chibi style being mostly bright green, with lime green on the mouth portion. It was disproportionately large, like a cartoon. Her outfit consisted of a complex lolita look. Underneath was a white shirt with ruffles around her hands that cover them. The neck was also ruffled white. A puffy lime dress came after, ruffled to her knees. A striped green skirt with lolita ruffles rested on top, making three layers of different colored ruffles around her knees. Her legs were met with green platform boots and black stockings. Her hands and other exposed skin was a grayed mocha tone.

Monokuma: So, ask your question away, little one!

Chika: …

Monokuma: ...Ask it. C’mon.

Chika began to tremble.

Monokuma: Is it broken or what, am I right guys?

Monokuma leaned back to the bright-eyed girl, who didn’t answer back as he began to poke with his elbow.

Chika: ...KERO.

Monokuma: GAH! LOUD!

Chika, shaking: K-KERO KERO KERO!

She raised up a hand, holding up three fingers.

Monokuma: Whu-Whuh?!

Chika, stomping: KERO! KERO KERO!

Monokuma: TAKE OFF THE MASK! I CAN’T UNDERSTAND YOU!

His command made her freeze at first, then begin shaking even worse. She didn’t say anything as she shrunk back in her seat.

Bright Girl: I think she’s scared… Maybe something about wanting to be called by the name you see in her picture there?

Chika nodded, glancing at the girl next to her.

Monokuma: Hmph. Croaking three times? You only die once, y’know. Upupupupu! I’ll honor that request, though. So you’re little miss Sankero, the baby who throws tantrums!

Sankero: ...K-KERO.

Monokuma, gloomy: Still won’t talk at all... How about you next, since you’re already here...

**NAOTO PEARLSHORES - ULTIMATE ACTOR**

The larger girl was posed in the projection flourishing a heroic mask in one hand and a scarf in the other, smiling cheerfully with violet eyes that had striking lower lashes. He wore a pearl necklace, dividing the head area from the body. Underneath was a dark green shawl, with a purple tunic on below. At the very bottom were beige pants with a flashy dark brown purse and sandals. Purple nails completed the look for him, all resting favorably on his wide, soft form that was capped off by burgundy hair pulled behind the ears, with a distinctive heart shape around the bangs and shoulder overhang.

Naoto: Err… Uh… I dunno, can I pass?

Monokuma: Sure!

Gloomy Girl: YOU FUCKING IDIOT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

Naoto, fliching: Ah! U-Uh, I’m sorry, I j-just don’t have anything to ask! Th-This is scary!

Monokuma: You certainly seem bold! Why not you next?

Gloomy Girl: H-Huh? Me?!

**YURIKO MORI - ULTIMATE BROKER**

Shown in front of a computer, a pinboard behind her with nondescript photos of people marked and tagged in various ways. A circle surrounded one in particular. She was frail in build, an oversized gray turtleneck covering most of her body and hands except for her legs. Her legs were covered by a small hint of black shorts and black socks with white leg warmers going into gray flip-flops. A necklace with a locket completed the look, alongside wide sunglasses. The whole ensemble seemed to just work to cover up her incredibly pale skin and dangerously thin figure, even her hair being a bleached white forest of messy bangs around her face.

Yuriko: W-Wait, no… That’s not true! Why am I not the Ultimate Publicist?!

Monokuma: Smoke and mirrors like that doesn’t fly here! Upupu!

Yuriko: B-But… I-I need to-!

Monokuma: NEXT!

Yuriko: Hrgh…!

**YUSUKE YAMASHITA - ULTIMATE ESPORTS MANAGER**

Pushing his hair back, holding a fighting game controller at his side, the embodiment of all the cool he’s carried when he spoke. A little thin, with a somewhat pale skin tone, he wore a navy letterman jacket with a patched over 21 on it. Underneath was a shirt branded with a logo labeled “REI6N,” a popping red and yellow explosion, while he wore skinny jeans and black sneakers on the bottom. His headphones were white with black trim. A black facemask rested on his chin, revealing his smirk.

Yusuke: …

Monokuma: Not another one of these!

Yusuke: Sorry, I’m just...takin’ it all in. Uh…

He cleared his throat.

Yusuke: Hi, everyone. I’m Niwai. Like, in English my name would have… Ah, forget it. Niwai. Call me that.

A wave to everyone.

Monokuma: Hurry it up, jackass. We’re running behind.

Niwai: Right, right. So… What if we don’t kill each other?

For a moment, the room fell quiet, and Monokuma looked brutally cold.

Monokuma: ...You will.

Niwai: What if we don’t? I’ll do everything I can to make sure no one is hurtin’ nobody.

His determination was met with a cold laugh.

Monokuma: Upupupu… Too bad for double negatives! I guess we’re all hurting each other!

Niwai: ...Hmph. Ignore this bear, everyone. We WILL get the hell outta here. I’ll work my ass off for y’all’s sake.

Monokuma: Bold words! Usually people die for them! Anyways, next!

Niwai’s frustration was visible on his face as he looked at Monokuma turn towards Eun-Ji and myself.

**EUN-JI HAN - ULTIMATE HISTORIAN**

The shot of her on the presentation was facing from the side, showing the tall and thin girl miraculously holding a massive stack of books. Her red eyes were almost totally obscured by her glasses in the image.

Eun-Ji: ...What do we do after this is over?

Monokuma: Feel free to explore, talk amongst yourselves, or even begin planning your killing! Be entertaining!

Eun-Ji: “Entertaining…”

Monokuma: Is that all?

Eun-Ji: Yes.

I saw relief in her as she settled back into her seat, trying to avoid being the focus of attention longer.

**ZEKU - ULTIMATE ???**

My image was a candid shot taken from the hallway. I gulped as everyone’s attention shifted to me, and shrunk in my seat, nervous.

Monokuma: Well? Don’t you have a question for me, Tall, Dark, and Ugly?

Zeku: ...Mphgh.

Monokuma: Go ahead, say it! No judgement.

A deep heat and pressure bubbled in me.

Monokuma: C’mon! We don’t have all day. Your question can’t go to waste, you know?

The noise in the room only got louder as a deep drum pounded.

_ Who the hell is this? Even I had that weird professional picture… Isn’t that suspicious? _

Badunk.

_ Who are you? Why don’t you have a Talent? _

Badunk. Badunk.

_ What could this mean? Who are you? _

**Badunk badunk. Badunk badunk.**

_ Isn’t there supposed to be someone who Monokuma is working with? Zeku. Is it you? _

**BADUNKBADUNKBADUNKBADUNKBADUNKBADUNK**

_ Zeku, take breaths. Don’t you think it’s reasonable to be afraid of the gangly freak who looks like they were pulled from the nearest trash bin? Zeku. Look at me. _

Zeku:  **HYAAAAAAAAAUGH!**

I felt the air escape my lungs, my mind going blank with pure noise and panic.

_I want to go home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy moly, that part's done.  
> AGENDA:  
> -Chapter 3, Day 1.2.  
> -Perhaps a main theme remix to kick off the music study experimentation?  
> -Let me know what you think of the story as its begun in the comments. Everyone will get better screentime next time, when they (obviously) interact among themselves rather than the teddy bear. ALSO IS IT TOO LONG?!


	3. DAY 1.2 - WELCOME TO DESPAIR ~LEGATO~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, is this thing on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning is for some pretty foul language from one of the characters- nothing worse than what Dangan already dips into (see: Syo and Oma's flavor of venom for just what to expect). Should be clear in the text, but it's not like I condone it or anything, and I hope I used it properly to convey that kind of characterization.

Zeku: ...Ugh.

I rubbed my head, a dull pain splitting my skull open. Opening my eyes and feeling with my hand, I realized I was on some uncomfortable plastic seating.

_Wait… Where am I…?_

My thoughts were interrupted by a flash of pain in my head.

Zeku: E-Ergh! Fuck…!

???, familiar: Oh, you’re awake.

The light focused in my eyes, and I saw who spoke, and where I was. A dingy, poorly lit doctor’s office, with a gangly girl staring at me from behind cloudy glasses- **Eun-Ji Han, the Ultimate Historian.** _Clingy weirdo…_ With her was a heavyset girl who had a worried look on her face as her gray-green eyes scanned my body. **Homura Shiraishi, the Ultimate Neurosurgeon.** _Can’t she stop staring? I’m not gonna explode or any-_

Zeku: U-UGH! Fucking hell…!

My head throbbed with pain again.

Eun-Ji: H-Hey, are you alright? Don’t force yourself... Lay down if you need to.

She took my shoulders gently, trying to guide me down.

Homura: Z-Zeku, I’ll get some water. Don’t move.

I shook off Eun-Ji, some kind of instinct kicking in.

Zeku: D-Don’t touch me, you annoying, clingy bitch!

Eun-Ji, stunned: H-Huh?!

Zeku, doubled over: I j-just… F-Fuck! My head… Where… Fuck, deep breaths...

Homura, to Eun-Ji: Th-They didn’t mean it. It’s the stress from all of this combined with having that violent breakdown…

Eun-Ji: I know, I know… I get that. It’s still rude…

Zeku: Shut up. Just… Shut the fuck up. Turn off the light. It’s buzzing...so fucking loud…

After a moment of hesitating, Homura turned it off. My head slowly began to clear from its foggy pain.

Zeku: Turn the lights on again. And just… Sorry.

The lights came on, and the first thing I saw was Eun-Ji’s palm streaking across my vision as she slapped me. Homura gasped.

Eun-Ji: Okay… Now I forgive you.

Her face and tone were flat, but she seemed awfully full of herself.

Homura: U-Uh, pl-please don’t hit the patient!

Eun-Ji: Relax, they’re fine. I…

Eun-Ji’s words cautiously faded.

Eun-Ji: ...I know how these types can be.

Homura, confused: ...Please don’t hurt each other.

I sighed, annoyed again but not in any real pain. _What was she made of, paper?_ Looking at the two, I thought about what I needed to ask as Homura handed me a plastic cup of water. Sipping from it, I looked at them.

Zeku: So, what the hell happened? I remember waking up, then...it was something like a weird fucking bear? And all of these idiots got introduced. Then I just...lost it. I don’t know.

Homura: Um…

Zeku: What?

Homura: A-Ah. Uh, well… The thing is...

Zeku: Spit it out. You can say it.

Homura: ...You seemed to have some kind of seizure. It was as if a panic attack ripped triggered physical shock. You started screaming, foaming at the mouth, soiled yourself, and-

Zeku: W-Wait, **SOILED MYSELF?**

Homura: Yeah… I changed you, don’t worry-

Zeku: Y-You saw my-?!

Homura: It’s okay! It’s fine! I’m a doctor!

Zeku: B-But-! Ugh…

I held my head a moment, exhausted. _This is already too fucking much, and I just woke up._

Homura: ...A-Anyways. You also were crying, so I took control of the situation and we managed to find this place. You’re fine now, b-but… It’s not like I have medical records or any tools to check the state of your brain and the possibility of future seizures. I’m sorry… I’m guessing you don’t know anything about them?

Zeku: ...No, I don’t. 

_Seizures…? When the hell did I have those?_

Zeku: ...Hey, Eun-Ji? Why are you here?

Eun-Ji, snappy: Excuse me?

Zeku: What the hell’s your problem?

Eun-Ji: Maybe calling a girl a “bitch” before the first date isn’t a good idea...

Zeku: H-Hey, I-!

Eun-Ji, rolling up sleeves: Homura, get out... I’m going to teach this punk a lesson.

_Is this string bean serious?! Not that I’m much better..._

Zeku: H-Huh-?!

Eun-Ji: I know Jeet Kune Do, jerk... Bring it!

Homura, flustered: J-Just talk to them, pl-please don’t fight! U-Uuugh…

The door closed with her shaking hand. _Shit._

Eun-Ji suddenly changed her face completely, completely serious.

Eun-Ji: Are you okay?

Zeku: I… What? Y-Yes, I… Wait, what’s your problem?!

Eun-Ji: Good, you’re fine. I’m… I’m sorry I slapped you, it needed to be convincing.

_...Huh?_

Zeku, looking away: ...That still stung, you know.

Eun-Ji: Yeah, but you were all of a sudden incredibly rude... So it was justified, really.

Zeku, frowning: I guess.

Eun-Ji: Anyways… Zeku. I needed to talk to you. Alone.

Zeku, annoyed: Well, you got me alone. What the hell do you want to say?

Eun-Ji, confused: ...Were you always this...vocal?

Zeku: Fuck you mean?

Eun-Ji: ...When you woke up, you were quiet, nervous, kept eying up everything. Now you’re busy swearing like a sailor and calling me all sorts of things.

Zeku: So what?! You’re bothering me! Ugh, my head-!

Eun-Ji: You’re lying. I heard what you sound like when you’re in pain earlier.

_Fuck, she’s sharp._

Eun-Ji, smirking: Now you’re looking all guilty...

Zeku, embarrassed: Is that all you wanted to do? Get on my case? I thought the doctor had that covered.

Eun-Ji, sighing: Do you remember anything else? Your real name? Anything about the rest of the class?

Zeku: ...No. Why would I remember anything?

Her red eyes appeared from behind those cloudy glasses. _It’s...cold..._

Eun-Ji: ...Does the name “Matsuken” mean anything to you?

Nervous, I thought on it seriously.

Zeku: ...No, I don’t believe so…

A moment of clarity passed.

Zeku: Wait. Matsuken… That was one of my classmates from… From my only memory.

Her glasses fogged up again.

Eun-Ji: ...So you remember our school life. Can you tell me anyone else you remember?

Zeku: ...Yuki. That one had orange hair… Then… someone named Akemi called me uh… “Kombu-head?” There was an Ichinosuke with that name. Matsuken. Hideo-

_My memories-_

Zeku: -Eun-Ji Toki Sankero Skye Mariya Mariya Mariya-

_ohmigodohmigodohmigod_

Zeku: -Class03Class11Class03Class11Class03Class11-

_whoisshewhoisshewhoisshe_

Zeku: **-GOLDENDESPAIRGOLDENDESPAIRGOLDENDESPAIR-**

Eun-Ji and Homura: **ZEKU! STAY WITH US!**

I felt tears burning my eyes, my whole body shaking as spittle flew from my mouth. Something was warm around my thigh. I grabbed something.

Zeku: **WHO THE HELL WAS SHE?!**

My breathing was stable. I realized I was holding Eun-Ji by the shirt, and contrary to my own serene atmosphere, she- and Homura- were terrified.

Zeku, letting go: ...What?

Homura: ...I-I think I should stay with you.

Zeku: ...Yes.

I blinked, head foggy.

Zeku: Eun-Ji, did you have...more questions?

Eun-Ji, looking away: ...I’m sorry.

Zeku: Huh?

Eun-Ji: Trying to dig up your memories is what gave you another attack. It’s my fault.

Zeku: ...Heh.

Eun-Ji, cocking a brow: Eh?

I doubled over.

Zeku: hahahaHeheheHAHAHAhahaha

Zeku: ...I’m quite surprised you think that highly of what you did.

Homura: Z-Zeku?

Zeku: I’m just...weak. I… I’m not stable. I’m sorry. I think I peed myself again.

Homura: A-Ah… Let me get you a change of pants! I… W-Wait, actually… I’ll use this thing!

Pulling out her e-Handbook, Homura went through some menus, then a beep came in response.

Homura: I have Roland grabbing some for you. I’m… We’re sorry, as your friends. A-And me, as your doctor for now.

I cocked my head.

Zeku: You’re funny. You keep acting like you did something to me.

Homura: Zeku…

Eun-Ji: ...You go from rude, to now just empty in the head.

Zeku: Maybe.

Eun-Ji: ...Are you really okay?

Her tone was lost on me. We waited in an uncomfortable silence until the door opened, the masked student entering.

Roland: Ah, so they did awake?

Homura: Yes, Roland… You have the clothes?

Roland, handing them to Zeku: Of course.

Zeku: Could you all turn the other way?

Eun-Ji: I-I think you should use the shower in the back, y’know.

Zeku: Oh, that’d be a good idea… Where is it?

Homura: The chemical shower over there, in that glass box… The water will hurt a bit from the high pressure, but it’s okay so long as you don’t let it hit your eyes or anything else that’s fragile.

Following her instructions, I went to the emergency shower, cleaning my legs in particular. That’s when I heard something that nearly made me scream in panic.

???: WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU KIDS DOING HERE?!

Homura: Eep!

Eun-Ji: St-Stupid bear!

Monokuma: GET OUT! SOMEONE’S NAKED! GET THE HELL OUT OF THE ROOM YOU PERVERTS! ESPECIALLY YOU, MISTER MASK, EYING UP THAT POOR SOUL!

Roland: I-I was not-

Monokuma: Oh, and they got COMEBACKS too, huh?! I’ll see you all hanged for this! OUT!

The door shut after the clattering of footsteps.

Monokuma: ...So.

I slowly, nervously turned around, looking through the glass to see the bear.

Monokuma: J-JEEZ, FULL FRONTAL!

_A-Ah… Why am I shivering?_

Monokuma: So, you’ve got a strike against ya’, kid. Let’s write it down here… “Public indecency,” right in my notes for you. Upupupu! Not a good look!

Zeku: I-I’m sorry…

Monokuma: It’s okay, because I forgive you, and all the weirdos outside too who wanted to watch again! In fact, I have some things to talk to you about.

Zeku: Y-Yes?

_Why can’t I stop shaking? Why is it so cold when this thing is around?_

Monokuma: So hurry up and wash up! Get dried off with that towel! Put on clean pants! Unless if the dirty ones are your thing, upupupu, you gangly pervert!

Zeku: Y-Yes…

Finishing the shower and getting dried and dressed, I stood before the bear again.

Monokuma: So, you sure seem to have a… **health issue.** Don’t you want help with that? Those pants don’t come cheap, y’know...

The bear smiled, and I shivered again.

Zeku: Wh-What would you do?

**_Don’t._ **

Monokuma: Well, it’d be some medication for your seizures, silly! It’d help you from all those wacky moments you just lose all control!

 **_Don’t listen to the bear._ ** _What if I need it?_

Monokuma: Don’t you want to be safe? Especially from your own scary, weird body?

 ** _It’s lying._** _What if I get hurt?_

Monokuma: C’mon, give me an answer.

**_Shut up, you child._ **

Monokuma: Well? Aren’t you going to accept life-saving medication?

Zeku: Fuck off. My **friends** are waiting on me, thanks.

I felt my presence coming back to me as the bear flinched.

Monokuma: Excuse me?!

Zeku: I… I don’t know what’s going on with me, sure. But I can bet my ass that you won’t help it. So kindly fuck off, bugbear.

I left the room.

Monokuma: Fine! Fine, you perverts! Be that way! Phooey.

Roland, Homura, and Eun-Ji looked at me, with varying degrees of concern on their faces- or at least, the two faces I could see.

Zeku: For the moment, can you just fill me in on what I missed? And Eun-Ji… Can we talk later?

She gave me an odd look, but said nothing as Roland cleared their throat.

Roland: Well, beyond Homura and Eun-Ji taking care of you after your...issue, we have been investigating the complex we are in. At least, we believe it to be a complex, based on the floor plan and buildings within.

We all began walking through the long, empty hallway and away from the doctor’s office.

Roland: Zeku, you should check your e-Handbook. It has several menu options available which may be of interest- namely a page that allows us to look at each others’ profiles, a messaging tool, and also a map. There seems to be more features awaiting, but that is what we have available for now.

Zeku, brightly: Sure, I’ll look it over! Where is mine, by the way?

Eun-Ji: I have it... I have it, please don’t start up with this again.

She handed it over.

Zeku, brightly: Thank you, ma’am!

I proceeded to stuff it in my pocket, uninterested.

Homura: U-Uh… Zeku, we’re all going to talk with the rest of the group since you’re awake, and pool what we know so we can figure out just what to do now.

Zeku, brightly: Sounds great!

Homura: Zeku you uh… You don’t really mean it like that, do you?

Zeku, brightly: What tipped it off? Did you realize stripping someone down and hosing them down may leave them pissed off? Or was it you, Eun-Ji, constantly trying to get on my case about shit that leaves me having another episode? Or maybe it’s the Jolly Ghoulie Giant getting to stalk around with TWO GIANT SWORDS when we’re told to kill each other, but everyone looked at me like I was the freakish outlier who should be locked up! Huh, I wonder what it could possibly be!

I felt the heat from my face making even the long hallway feel stuffy. The three exchanged awkward looks.

Homura: Uh… Zeku, I’m sorry, but as a doctor-

Zeku: Shove the oath up your fat ass. I’m leaving. How do I leave all you idiots?

Homura, nervous: Z-Zeku… Please, calm down, and watch your-

Zeku, furious: I. AM. LEAVING. NOW.

Homura: B-But, you need to calm down, c-cause-

Zeku: JUST FUCKING SPIT IT OUT! WHERE-

Eun-Ji, eyes piercing: WE’RE TRAPPED HERE… YOU FUCKING MORON!

_...What?_

Eun-Ji: We’re… We are trapped. We have been trapped for who knows how long, and so far all that’s happened is idiots like you...or that rancid punk Akemi...making a whole bunch of noise because you’d rather be idiots than accept it.

_...That’s right. It’s… It’s cold again._

Eun-Ji: We’re trapped… Are you going to bitch and moan, call people- who’ve only tried HELPING you, I might add- all sorts of nasty shit, put on this whole show just to avoid that?!

Homura, shaking: E-Eun, you can sto-

Eun-Ji: No… I’m sick of it. What the hell are we helping this idiot for? What am I…

Her voice trailed, and she turned around, stomping off.

Homura: U-Uh… I’ll talk to her. I’m sorry, Zeku… Uh…

Homura looked both ways.

Homura: I-I’ll go. Watch them, Roland.

Roland: Aye.

Homura followed after Eun-Ji.

Zeku, dazed: ...Roland.

Roland: Yes, Zeku?

Zeku: I… After I had that seizure earlier, what happened?

Roland: ...Well, Eun-Ji tried her best to keep you from hurting yourself during your throes. Following this was her and Homura immediately pressing the bear for answers on a place to bring you. However, the bear said we were better off looking ourselves, because he would not help anyone who interrupted his assembly. So those two chose to carry you here by themselves, while they requested me to look for spare clothes anywhere. I ended up finding some in a laundry room which is attached to the hallway of our quarters.

Zeku: ...I see.

I weighed words in my head.

Zeku: Roland, are we really-

Roland: Beyond a doubt. There are no exits, save for the window above our heads in the atrium down this hallway and the stairway that is locked off. However, our exploration was surface-level, if the others are to be believed.

Zeku: ...I. I need to talk to Eun-Ji.

Roland: Zeku.

Zeku, nervous: ...Yeah?

Roland: I can show you to your room, and you can rest, if you want to simply collect yourself. There is no shame in disengaging.

Zeku: ...Roland, I… I feel like I've just been a problem for everyone.

Roland: ...Your point being?

_R-Rude!_

Zeku, flustered: I-I want to stop! I've been all over the place I… I don't know what's going on… I feel like I hurt a friend…

Roland: "If you want to fix something, you need steady hands." Have you heard that?

Zeku: ...Huh?

Roland: A Novoselic saying… I think you needed to hear it.

Zeku, crying: ...B-But… I can't rest easy if everyone hates me.

Silence.

Zeku: Especially Eun-Ji. I…

Roland: Her?

_I don't know why she's the only one who remembers me. Why did she reach out? Why did I just get scared of that? Why did I get angry at that fear?_

Zeku: ...I was especially shitty to her.

Roland: ...I'll bring you to the others. We were about to have dinner. Usually eating before bed is ill-advised, but… Make it light, please?

Zeku, smiling softly: ...Okay. I was gonna talk more, anyways.

They sighed, and then led the way. We went down the hall, and I took a look at the map.

**< Main Menu >**

**> >MAP**

**< FIRST STRATUM >**

## 

{ IMAGE MIRROR: [DRIVE](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zA6Of941w0alCdGgZOk6kHLwTN4aJn26/view?usp=sharing) }

Zeku: ...So there's maybe more floors? There are stairs here…

Roland: That’s the common theory, yes. Oh, here is the atrium.

Opening the door, what I saw was significantly different than the 3D render on the e-Book. The wide open space had a high ceiling, with tables dotting the astroturfed landscape neatly. What could be skylights or floodlights beamed down on us. Smaller arrays of lights beamed on plants, which were watered by an automated sprinkler system. Alongside this, Monokuma was humming along, dressed like a gardener, spreading fertilizer.

_Ah, that’s…_

Of the class, I saw Agito, Matsuken, Niwai, and Daiki outside, sitting at one of several tables. As we approached, Niwai waved us over.

Roland: I apologize, Zeku. But you still have some talking to do…

I gulped, taking a seat in between Agito and Roland.

Niwai, cooly: So, Zeku, dude… What’s up?

Zeku: U-Uh…

Agito: What kind of a fool are you, peon? No subject of Ours should make another subject of Ours be under duress! Tch, clearly We need to-

Niwai, casually: If I may, chief, why don’t you leave the discipline to us? Don’t worry your perfect head nothin’ over this.

Agito pouted, and sighed.

Agito: Fine. If you wish, We shall respect your wishes and take a passive role. But do understand you are not forgiven for the transgression.

Niwai, nodding: Sorry, pal. Thanks.

He turned to me after nodding at the two other guys.

Niwai: So, Zeku, listen… About you-

Zeku: I’m sorry! I… I’ve b-been an asshole all day! I-I don’t feel well all around, a-and I’m blowing up at ev-

A heavy hand reaches over the table and taps mine.

Daiki: Hah, Zeku, it’s all fine. Everyone has been on edge. If you blew up at Eun-Ji, all we want to know is what happened, so we can smooth things over and make sure everyone is cool and comfortable with each other, yeah?

Zeku: A-Ah… Alright. Well…

I thought for a moment on what to say.

Zeku: I… I woke up from what everyone was saying like a seizure. I felt...scared, honestly. There was still a lot of noise and stuff going on, and Eun-Ji tried talking to me a lot- Ah.

I paused, feeling heat flush my cheeks.

Matsuken: Take your time, no need to rush.

Zeku: I-I called her a uh… A “clingy bitch.”

A long silence.

Roland, stunned: I did not hear that part.

Daiki, uncomfortable: Yeahhh… That’s bad.

Agito, frowning: Humph. What kind of disrespect festers in your mind, mortal?

Matsuken, hastily: Perhaps we should wrap this up so you can apologize.

Niwai, sighing: So, Zeku, you get that’s wrong, yeah?

Zeku, flustered: O-Of course! I was so agitated and I let it out on her, and Homura, and y-you too Roland-

Roland: Let’s focus on the girls for now, since you were most likely a bit more crass when I wasn’t present. It’s fine on my end, Zeku.

Zeku: Okay… W-Well, I think I called Homura uh… I said something like, “Shove the oath up your fat ass?”

Silence again.

Roland, apologetic: They uh… They did say that one around me.

Niwai, tired: ...Zeku can’t even front. Can’t even try to sound cool. Don’t be a dick like that, oh my G-

He paused, collecting himself as tension came to a boil.

Niwai, eyebrow twitching: OKAY, ZEKU, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT’S WRONG, YES?

Zeku, flustered: O-Of course! I-I went too far!

Agito, cackling: You are the most unfortunate of Our peons, Zeku! You certainly bring Us humor, if nothing else. How about being Our jester-

Matsuken: Agito, please, let’s wrap this up before you offer them anything…

Agito: Fine, fine! But We simply are amused at the flustering failings of a fool.

I felt myself tearing up a bit.

Daiki: Maybe this is too much stimulation for the poor kid.

Niwai, tired: Y-Yeah, let’s focus on the whole discipline and apology part… So. Zeku. You said some shit that was pretty fucked, nah-gon-lie. What are you going to do about it?

Zeku: W-Well… I wanna apologize to Eun-Ji and Homura. They were just trying to help me and I was so confused I snapped at them instead of letting them help me out…

Roland: I will concur that perhaps assuming you had accepted our state of being trapped- or perhaps simply withholding that information to avoid overload- was not the soundest plan. It was my recommendation, you see…

Zeku: It’s fine… You just wanted to help, too. I’m sorry.

Roland: Quite alright, Zeku.

Matsuken: I believe that is a good point to move into the cafeteria, then, so you may apologize to those girls.

Niwai, rubbing temples: Yeah, sounds good. Time for you to do what you should, mend that bridge, all that good stuff. So you good?

Zeku: Yes.

Agito, snide: I definitely look forward to your misfortunes…

Daiki: Hey, don’t be like that, now. They’re trying to help.

Agito, flustered: W-We said nothing!

Roland: Certainly seems tough to keep up the royal act…

Agito, red in the face: W-We said nothing, We swear! Th-That… Rgh!

I chuckled a little.

Niwai, smirking: Yeah, we all need a good laugh. I’m thankin’ YOUR royal behind!

With Agito hugged by Niwai as we all got up, everyone smirked- or at least, everyone whose face was visible- except for Agito, who was bright red.

Agito: Hmph! Unhand Us, villain!

Niwai messed with their hair.

Niwai: You’re adorable, y’know that, Highness? A’ight, I’ll put’cha down.

Agito, with messy hair and an off-center visor, was red in the face from embarrassment.

Agito: F-For the record, I am not cute! I am demonic! Respect my p-power…

Matsuken: Certainly seems the whole royal ‘We’ business is easily stopped.

Agito, completely red: F-Fuh-Fuck you!

A moment of shock, but then…

Roland, stomping: KYAHAHAHAHAHA! Y-YOUR VOICE CRACKED SO BADLY!

Daiki, doubled over: OHOHOH MY GOD, BOTH YOUR VOICES! Y-Your laugh, Roland…!

Matsuken, smirking: Y-You all are so much…

Even I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as Agito sighed with frustration while blushing with embarrassment, fixing their crown.

Niwai, smiling: So, ready to give your apology, dude?

Zeku: Y-Yeah… I think I am.

He put a hand on my shoulder as we walked towards the other side of the atrium, where a wide set of glass doors waited. We walked into the wide cafeteria.

_O-Oh…_

Contrary to the upbeat, teasing energy of the atrium, the cafeteria was filled with an almost oppressive, dark atmosphere. My eyes scanned the scattering of everyone at the tables for Eun-Ji or Homura. At the same time, I took in the wide room, which had a long table at one end with plenty of food, where a standee of Monokuma in a chef’s hat stood proudly beside it.

_Ah, there they are…_

The two sat at a table close by, and Niwai casually walked with me towards them.

Niwai: Yo.

Eun-Ji, annoyed: What do you want…?

Homura: Oh, don’t be like that, Eun… I think Zeku wants to apologize?

Eun-Ji: So?

Niwai, cooly: Ayy, at least hear them out. Then you’re free to reject Zeku’s attempt, yeah? And Homura, you’re included.

Homura: Huh?

Eun-Ji, glaring: ...Fine.

Niwai: Aces! So, Zeku, say what you need to say.

I gulped, seeing Eun-Ji’s red eye judging me. In contrast, Homura’s sad gray-green eyes gave a half-obscured warm look from her messy locks, as if she was cheering me on.

Zeku: Well, I’m sorry for saying all those things when I woke up. Calling you a uh… A b-bitch, Eun-Ji. That was really shitty, when you were just trying to help someone out who had collapsed and were just taking care of me. I’m sorry I did all that rude stuff and I hope I can do something to make up for it…

Eun-Ji: ...I guess that’s words. Fine… Fine. I accept your apology.

Zeku, nodding: That’s good… Homura?

Homura, confused: O-Oh? Yes?

Zeku: I’m sorry about saying… Um, y’know, calling you fat, that’s really rude and shitty too. I hope-

Homura: Ehehe, you can be cute, y’know?

Zeku, flustered: E-Eh?

Homura: It’s okay. I forgive you, Zeku. Besides, if I were angry, this sumo body of mine could easily snap your arm in half, considering your unhealthy bone density.

Zeku, unnerved: U-Uh.

Niwai, uneasy: Hahah, let’s not go that far… But we all good?

Eun-Ji, neutral: Sure…

Homura: Mhm.

Niwai: Zeku?

Zeku: O-Oh. Yeah… We’re good.

Niwai, relieved: Slick. I’ma go get some others then, we’ll have our dinner meetin’, then you can do, well, whatever. Peace!

I nodded, and saw Niwai off. Nervously, I sat down next to Homura, with Eun-Ji sighing as I sat across from her.

Zeku: ...Um, Eun-Ji?

Eun-Ji, curt: What?

Zeku: I wanted to ask you something.

Eun-Ji sighed, closing a small book I just noticed she had the entire time. It was titled, “Golden Dioscuri - A Star-Crossed Love,” with “SCRIPT BOOK” underneath. Homura looked between us, a bit unsure if she should stay.

Eun-Ji: What?

Zeku: Uh… Well, how do y-

My words were interrupted by the sound of plastic clattering and ceramic shattering.

???: Ugh, you stupid… You little FUCKING GREMLIN!

???: KRHHH…

Looking over, us three saw what looked like ramen spilled on the helmet of Sankero, whose LED eyes were flickering and spinning around. Screaming at the significantly smaller girl was Yuriko, whose pale face was flushed with anger.

Yuriko: I CAN’T S-SEE SHIT IN THIS AWFUL LIGHT, AND YOUR DUMBASS THINKS IT’S OKAY TO JUST RUN INTO PEOPLE?!

Sankero: K-KRHHH…

She tipped her head forwards, away from anyone, and undid some locks.

Yuriko: Y-You… Are you even listening?!

Koji: I believe that hot broth and air has seeped into her helmet… It must burn, or maybe the burns are from your venom.

Yuriko: Wh-What the fuck are you… Rgh. Get that helmet off, you dumbass! You can’t dry off without it.

Despite clearly being in pain, Sankero only released the locking mechanism and exposed her neck, wiping at it with her top layer of clothing.

Yuriko: ...Hmph. I’m going to bed. This stupid fucking lolicon ruined my appetite-

Niwai: Hey, now that’s uncalled for.

Returning from grabbing Naoto, Kazuto, Seiko, and the others who were outside, both Niwai’s tone and face were uncharacteristically serious.

Yuriko: What? The fuck do you want?

Niwai, blunt: You do not- and I repeat, do not- refer to other people as some disgusting fetish term. You apologize to little Chikarin right now, alright?

Yuriko, smug: Oh? Apologize to the little mute lolicon sad sack of bitch, eh? Or else what?

Niwai, cold: ...Fine. Be that way. Just know that the only reason I’m tryin’ to make sure everyone gets along is so we don’t lose our minds as we figure out how to get out of-

Yuriko, snapping: OH, SO YOU’RE AN IDIOT! She’s mute, you’re stupid, and THAT gangly fuck is-

Niwai, angrily, standing between Yuriko and I: LISTEN. YOU’RE OUT OF LINE.

Yuriko: WE’RE FUCKING TRAPPED, AND CAN’T ESCAPE, UNLESS, ACCORDING TO SOME SHITTY FUCKING RULES FROM A SHITTY ROBOT BEAR, WE KILL SOMETHING! WE DRAWING LOTS?! OR ARE YOU OFFERING YOURSELF UP?! HUH?! MAYBE IT SHOULD BE THIS ONE!

She swung a leg at Sankero, who was terrified as she still dealt with the burning food. It was like time froze, with Yuriko’s face locked into a red, angry sneer as a massive hand swung for, and gripped, her neck.

Akemi, calmly: Do you wanna die instead?

Something about the girl made her appear more massive and terrifying than her typical slack or grappling posture gave off. She held a dark aura, like black flame around her with piercing hate in her red eyes, and an arm bulging with ferocity as Yuriko scrambled for the bandaged hand. Yuriko was starting to cough up spittle.

Akemi: C’mon. Weren’t you gonna kick her?

Niwai: AKEMI, STOP!

He was clenching his teeth, helpless as the giant girl looked back at him coldly. Suddenly her gaze faltered, the fire leaving her eyes and her hand going loose on Akemi’s throat, as she sees the scene behind her. Sankero was covering her face, crying, shaking, her mask off in Naoto’s hands. Yuriko fell to her knees, gasping for air.

Akemi: A-Ah… Are you okay, S-San...?

Sankero, weakly: N-No…

Akemi, nervous: Eh… You need a towel or somethin’-?

Moving closer, Sankero scrambled back from Akemi’s reach.

Sankero, flinching: N-No!

A nervous, candy red eye peeked from her hand. Naoto sheepishly patted forest green curls.

Naoto: Ah… Akemi, I think you should back up a bit…

Akemi: H-Huh? B-But…

Yuriko, panting: Y-You fucking moron… You scared the infantile fucking shit. H-Heh, you must be some kind of dumb gorilla, going all-

Akemi, glowering: Sh-Shut up! This is your fault, you asshole! You were about to fucking kick her, you piece of shit… How is this my fault?!

Sankero was sobbing, still trying to hide her face.

Naoto: G-Guys, I’m going to bring her to her room, okay? I… Akemi, please try to apologize to her later. Tomorrow, okay?

He gave a soft smile, then led Sankero away.

Naoto, distant: H-Huh? Help… With that? Alright, if it’s okay with you, I’ll help out.

The atmosphere became cold.

Yuriko: ...Oh? And wh-what the fuck are you all looking at me for? For being the only one who bothered to show how fucked up all this is? For being the only one who’s actually affected and isn’t trying to rope idiots into singing fucking Christmas Carols?!

Niwai, coldly: Just…stop.

Yuriko, glowering: Or what?

Niwai: Nothing. Just...please.

His expression was distant, his tone pacified as he spoke again.

Niwai: Fine, you’re right. All we’ve been doin’ is bumblin’ like idiots, trying to avoid acceptin’ the fact we’re trapped, and apparently have to kill each other, shit that didn’t even get explained right cause someone had a goddamn seizure. Cause someone you were spittin’ your bullshit at had a whole pants-shittin’ seizure this mornin’!

I stirred, uncomfortable.

Niwai, angrily: Great idea, scream at the person who needs medical help we can’t fuckin’ get because we’re trapped. Are you just gonna throw tantrums all day, nearly kick a girl who looks like she’s 8, and then make Akemi here feel even more like shit for makin’ that kid cry?!

Akemi looked away, ashamed.

Niwai, sighing: No- fine, you’re right. Just… You’re right. Go ahead, be right. Not like we need to work together, just be right in your own little world where we all have to be at each others’ throats and treat each other like shit. Fine. I’ll be in mine.

Yuriko: ...Fuck you guys.

Despite wearing her thick sunglasses, she was clearly crying, storming off.

Monokuma, glum: Geez, I haven’t gotten to explain the **Killing Game** yet, and you guys are already fighting and threatening each other...

Jiro, leaping into Koji’s arms: J-JEUGHHHOLY UP LEFT START, SHIT!

Koji, strained: Brother, settle down. This chair can’t bear your load when you’ve eaten.

Monokuma, chipper: It’s so beautiful! I love a good, hard-working community.

Matsuken: Monokuma, sir, can you please leave?

Monokuma: Upupu! How bold! Don’t worry, I’ll be calling an assembly tomorrow to properly explain things! Just remember- KEEP THIS PLACE CLEAN, YOU IDIOTS!

The bear left as quickly and mysteriously as he came, hopping behind the chef standee, but not before bonking Akemi on the head.

Akemi, flinching: E-Eytuh!

Agito, pointing: Oni.

Akemi: H-Huh?

Agito: Your rage is an issue. But, it can be used. However, that other one- let’s call her the Kappa- is a gentle creature. Do not hurt others with your work, foolish Oni.

Akemi, hiding her mouth: H-Hey… Don’t call me stupid shit like that.

Agito: Would you prefer Asura, then? We can even consider Genbu, but your mask suggests a tengu, which is OUR look, thank you very much!

Akemi, annoyed: “We” get it. Ugh… I’m going to bed.

Niwai, muted: Akemi.

Akemi: What?

Niwai: ...Say sorry to Sankero, please. And...don’t do anythin’ crazy to Yuriko, okay? We need to get everyone on the same page before shit hits the fan with that assembly…

Akemi, walking off: ...Tomorrow. I don’t think she’d want to see me today.

Niwai sighed.

Kazuto: Well, I would certainly say that was an eventful dinner. But I should be off, myself. Oh, and Zeku- you didn’t eat!

Zeku: H-Huh?

Kazuto, leaving: I recommend the tiramisu, it’s chilled in the fridge. There’s even tea and milk that goes well. I’ll see you all tomorrow, for breakfast.

Daiki: ...I suppose I’ll get going myself. Niwai, let me know if you need any help rounding people up for the breakfast meeting.

Niwai, seeing him off: Gotcha, thanks.

Koji: Jiro, you can help me wash up tonight, yes? Assuming my bedroom lacks accommodations.

Jiro, nervous: Y-Yeah, bro… Sure.

Jiro pushed his brother along.

Koji, moving away: Breakfast at what time? I need to be up earlier than that.

Niwai: Uh, let’s shoot for an hour after morning? That’d be 7 AM. We’ll wake you.

Jiro, leaving: ‘Kay, thanks!

Roland: I believe I will take my leave as well. ...Forgive me, Niwai, I was not close enough to stop Akemi-

Niwai: No, it’s fine. Thanks, Ro’. Get to bed, alright?

Nodding, the masked knight walked out of the cafeteria.

Matsuken: Let me clean up here, Niwai. You can head to bed.

Niwai: Thanks, but I’ll help ya’.

Agito: Well, if all the peons have decided, We’ll be off as well. Good night, simpletons. You make Our years waste away, but it certainly isn’t dull!

Their geta clopped along the floor as they left.

Zeku: ...So, uh, Eun-Ji, could I talk to you?

Eun-Ji: Let’s chat in my room, then you get to yours… Alright?

Homura: I think I’ll head to bed… Today was exhausting. O-Oh, but Zeku, after breakfast, I want to check on you in the nurse’s office, okay?

Zeku: Alright. I’ll be there.

Homura, smiling warmly: Thank you. Good night, everyone… I hope tomorrow treats us better. I want to help out, too, let me know if anything, Niwai…

Niwai, sighing: Right, gotcha. G’night.

She walked off slowly.

Eun-Ji: Alright, come with me.

I followed her to the atrium, and then to the familiar scenery of the hallway lined with bedrooms, different people entering theirs. She unlocked her door with her e-Handbook, swiping it over a reader device. The door clicked, and we entered. Immediately, she shut it, shoving me to the door with her thin arms on both sides of my head. Scared, I shrunk under her form.

Eun-Ji: Wh-Why the hell are you all I can remember about Hope’s Peak Academy?

Zeku: ...I-I, uh, I wanted to a-ask you something-

Eun-Ji, desperate: Answer me... I wake up in this place, all that came to mind was you. I remembered you. Can you explain that?

I gently brought a hand to her arms, lowering them as I regained my slight height over her.

Zeku: Well, I… I don’t remember much of anything. But I remember a day in Hope’s Peak, and you were there. Maybe we knew each other well? As classmates, maybe…

Eun-Ji looked away, then removed her glasses. Her blood-red eyes were tired and sad, making a dramatic shift from the almost cartoony look of her cloudy glasses.

Eun-Ji: You meant that apology…?

Zeku: Y-Yes! Of course I did! I really feel terrible for snapping at you, I just- I don’t know, I-!

Eun-Ji: Th-That’s enough… That’s fine. You meant it… Zeku.

Zeku: Yeah?

Eun-Ji stared directly in my eyes.

Eun-Ji: We’re going to die.

Silence filled the air.

_...What?_

Eun-Ji, lip quivering: W-We’re outsiders. We’re very… Very likely to die.

Zeku: What are you talking about, Eun?

Eun-Ji, tearing up: Zeku. D-Don’t trust Matsuken… Please. I don’t know why... But I remember him too, and he… He’s dangerous. I don’t know why, just don’t trust him.

Cautiously, I moved a hand to her shoulder, using my right thumb to wipe a tear.

Zeku: H-Hey, Eun. It’s alright. Please… Don’t cry?

Eun-Ji: ...You’re such an idiot. I… I need that right now…

She started crying, and then buried herself into my chest. I patted her head.

Eun-Ji, sobbing: Please. Be careful. I don’t know what’s coming or what’s happening… But I want to figure out what I’m forgetting. I want to remember you, Zeku...

I stayed quiet. For a moment, we both stayed quiet, close to each other.

Eun-Ji: ...You can go to bed now, if you need to. I… Thanks.

She smiled at me with her tired red eyes. I nodded, opening the door.

Zeku: Good night, Eun.

Eun-Ji: Good night, Zeku… I hope to learn your real name sometime.

I smiled back at her as I left, closing the door.

Seiko: HEY!

Zeku: YEEP!

The girl with her postboy cap looked up at me, smirking with her mischievous face. She whistled.

Seiko: Wow. A late night escape with the resident bookworm. What was that weird book she was reading, anyways? Looked like one of the scripts from backstage, which is a specific play about a pair of ancient Greek lovers who- spoiler!- turn out to be-

Zeku, nervous: D-Do you want something?

Seiko: Let’s talk, buddy. No one else in the hall, and judging by how no one’s come out, the doors are soundproofed. Hell, everything is soundproofed. Just in case, let’s go to the laundry room.

She forcefully dragged me by the hand.

Zeku: What do you want? W-Wait, where were you this whole time?

Seiko, smirking: Following you quietly, duh. Investigative journalism, buddy. So, I found something special. I wanted to share, but only with you, since it concerns you.

It was a tape, reading “GM LOG 01.”

Zeku: ...So?

Seiko, flat: Jeez, you’re not the brightest, huh? Read again. It’s in **English.** And I can read it, but I can’t speak it. At least, my listening isn’t the best.

Zeku: O-Oh. Wait, why would I know it?

Seiko: I don’t know. But, everyone else is very Japanese, an asshole, not the type who’d give information easily- like that Niwai or Roland- or I just don’t like them, yeah? Leaving you, the weirdo who goes from a seizure to puppy dog eyes at a girl you pissed off this morning. And here’s the key thing- you’re an American.

Zeku: H-Huh? How do you know that?

Seiko, pushing up her glasses with a smirk: Well, you can only eat with a knife and fork, right?

Zeku: Why does that matter?

Seiko, snapping her fingers: Bingo.

_...I don’t get it._

Seiko, sighing: Like… If you were Japanese, you’d say, “No! I know how to use chopsticks!” At least, y’know? So you confirmed my hunch.

Zeku: O-Oh! I get it now! So because I don’t know traditionally Japanese things, and don’t look Japanese, that probably means I’m American! ...That’s kind of dumb logic, actually.

Seiko, wagging her finger: H-Hey, you give me a better clue to go on! The only other options were like, Kazuto or Roland and they’re...creepy.

Zeku: I’m not?

Seiko: You’re weird, a tall gangly one, but not creepy. Just...misunderstood! Like Frankenstein.

Zeku: That sounds mean…

Seiko: D’aww, shove it. I meant it in a nice way. Anyways, this tape has an English-speaking voice on it. I need you to listen to this, and tell me what you hear, okay?

I nearly spoke, then stopped, nervous.

Zeku: W-Well… When my memories come back, I have those seizures…

Seiko: I can help you. And Homura is like, right down the hall, so you don’t need to worry, alright?

Her tone was reassuring in its casual confidence. Pulling out something from her satchel, she revealed a cassette player. A final look at me, and I nodded. She proceeded to put it in.

Seiko, sighing: Honestly, tapes… It’s nearing the middle of the 21st century, right? Who uses this stuff anymore? I thought they were all broken after so long. Anyways, tell me what you hear, okay?

**< < GRKCH. WHRRR… >>**

**???: ...Signing in. I repeat, signing in. Ugh… I suppose I should preface this with that codename. This is “Goldman.” Agent Goldman of the United States branch.**

**Goldman: I’ve arrived in Japan. The investigation has begun, and so far the first day hasn’t given us anything of note. We still found just that… The proof of a “cover-up” at Hope’s Peak Academy. Missing students. Well… We’ve confirmed them to be more than missing.**

**A long sigh.**

**Goldman: They were so young… It looked like dogs got to them. But those wounds don’t lie. Human beings killed each other. They had weapons. All of the missing students, dead like they got possessed. Well, not even all of them! But the ones who didn’t return to school. What the hell is happening in Japan? ...Anyways, Agent Goldman out.**

**< < WHRRR… GRKCH! >>**

Seiko looked concerned.

Seiko: You’re pale.

Zeku: S-Sorry, I… I feel odd. It talked about someone named Goldman investigating Hope’s Peak…? Missing students… People killed each other apparently…

Seiko: H-Hey, sit down, okay? Don’t strain yourself. I can get Homura-

Zeku: N-No, it’s fine. I’m not… I’m faint, but I’m not having a seizure or anything. I just need rest, it’s been a long day… I don’t even think I ate.

Seiko: H-Huh? You gotta eat!

Zeku: N-Not now, just… Lemme sleep. Please…

Seiko, cautious: ...Fine. But sleep with your door open. I’ll leave mine cracked too. If anything, I’m getting in there and helping you out.

Zeku: ...Okay.

We both left the laundry room, and went to our respective bedrooms. The militant style of the room seemed to glare at me. I saw my bed, and almost blacked out as I flopped onto it.

_Sleep… I needed this so bad…_

Darkness overtook my mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prologue: Over. Expect a bit of a break as I get to working on more things- my hand tremors seem to be acting up too much for me to be able to make illustrations, so I hope the text provided is helpful enough.  
> TO-DO: Character profile page which can be referenced to get a refresher of how people look and generally act/speak, Talents, etc. Perhaps I can get started on composing investigation themes and the like.


	4. DAY 1 END

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...? hm?

**< WHRRR… >**

???: Uh… This is on? Oh, yes… This is my log of therapy sessions with each client I oversee the health of at Hope’s Peak Academy, as a part of my training and studies. These recordings exist to be reviewed by the higher staff of Hope’s Peak, as well as the Ultimate Psychologist- all of this is a formality to define the boundaries of confidentiality. Essentially, this is recorded, and listened to by relevant personnel. I am the Ultimate Therapist, Jun Katahara. The client today is Hideo Yamazaki, the Ultimate Assassin.

Hideo: Get on with it.

Jun: Ahaha… Ahem. Mister Yamazaki- err, do you prefer that…?

Hideo: Just say Hideo. Or Yama, I suppose I don’t care which.

Jun: Well then. Yama! How about we begin with why you came to see me.

Yama: ...It’s my sister. She’s been… To put it nicely, a bit difficult lately.

Jun: First, what is the situation, full context, no judgements?

Yama: Hrm. Well…

\---

Yama: Sis’, you can’t keep running off like that!

She was crying. How many times has this scene played out?

Yama: Every time you run off, you risk getting hurt. You know you can’t see that well, especially during the day… Stay close. Stop running.

Sister: I-I just w-wanted to pet the cat!

Yama: Hm?

Sister: A-And you killed her! Y-You killed a hungry cat!

Yama: Sis’... It could’ve hurt you. And we need food.

Sister: I hate you, Hideo!

I feel like she isn’t really a spiteful or the type who holds grudges. But how many days of that time were dedicated to this routine? No wonder she hates me-

Jun: Stop right there!

Yama: Hm?

Jun: No self-judgements. Just say what happened for now. So in the past, you tried looking out for your sister, and she said she hated you. What happened next?

Yama: ...Well. I had asked her today about partnering up for a certain biology related project. It has to do with raising insects, you see, and she told me that I’d probably just kill those too.

Jun: ...Did anything else get said?

Yama: No… I stayed quiet, and came here to complain, I guess.

Jun: ...Do you think talking with your sister in this context will help?

Yama: Absolutely not.

Jun: That was a fast answer. Do you want to try?

Yama: Absolutely not.

Jun: Well… What do you want to do?

Yama: I don’t know.

**< WHRRR… >**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MAIN THEME, BABY! https://soundcloud.com/fifthdimensionalchess/danganronpa-remix


	5. INTERMISSION - Character Profiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Completely normal character profiles.

HELLO, welcome, welcome! I am the Director of this Killing Game. Oh, don’t go thinking you know me. It’s not like those behind the camera are exactly “real” in a story, you know…

So, what do you think, lovelies? Is the cast too bloated? Let the crew give you our run-down of everyone featured so far! In addition, these would be the profiles within their e-Handbooks in the actual Killing Game, so everything here is CANON! ...Assuming no one made any weird edits in post.

#  **ZEKU**

Ultimate ??? (D/N: Tentative! What the hell does this brat DO?!!! (＃`Д´) )

Unknown/Unspecified - they/them

Hair: Dark Brown, nearly Black

Eyes: Silver Brown, hint of Amber

Height: 6’5” / 196 cm

Darker skin tone, but sickly grayed out; medical scars (insertion points of needles) blemish the wrists. Build is unhealthily thin, with bony joints, and a nervous, forward-leaning posture. Hair is a wild, untamed mess of loose curls often obscuring the eyes and going down beyond the shoulders, including one particularly uncontrollable cowlick. Underclothes are pale white, medical-looking, and joined with bandages wrapping around the wrists and ankles. A navy medical dressing covers the body comfortably above this. Above this is a white, ruffled button-up- a puffy shirt. It is pulled into black pants with suspenders. Take note that the feet are exposed due to a lack of shoes.

Hit: Weighted Blankets, Hand Sanitizer

Miss: Safety Pins, Sleeping Aids

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: So, your name…

//DATAEXPUNGED

???: Sorry, I’ll be taking over from here.

**CREW COMMENTARY - DIRECTOR**

What a freakshow, am I right? I certainly hope the character comes off as weird as we intended! The hair, I should specify, has an AHOGE quirk to it! (´ ∀ ` *) Truly ain’t a Killing Game without that, am I right? Anyways, Zeku is intended to be our protagonist, obviously, I hope. They are a foreigner- Latin American, in ethnicity, though I won’t say where from in specifics or nationality. Spoilers, you see! ANYWAYS. This kid’s got issues! Whether or not they work through them… I certainly hope you enjoy seeing the progression to it.

#  **EUN-JI HAN**

Ultimate Historian

Female - she/her

Hair: Lavender, interior Green

Eyes: Blood-Red

Height: 5’11” / 181 cm

Ghostly pale skin tone. Thin build, with bone showing at her ribs especially, and an unhealthy, hunched-posture. Hair is a veil of short bangs on her face, with the back stopping at her neck. Bottom layer is a lavender turtleneck, going a bit over her hands and covering halfway to her knees. A black tunic rests over this, with a black choker and black stockings complementing it. The stockings go into lavender loafers. Cloudy, almost swirled glasses obscure her eyes.

Hit: Asian Punk and Rock, War Memoirs

Miss: Political Campaigns, Crowded Rooms

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: So, name?

Eun-Ji: ...Eun-Ji Han. Who’s asking...

???: Come on now, don’t be like that! You know me. Er, anyways, why did YOU come to Hope’s Peak Academy?

Eun-Ji: Isn’t it obvious? ...Maybe I don’t really know. I suppose… You could say the will of my father… I think I should’ve stayed home… Whatever, I’m here now.

???: Fair enough. Any message for the fans?

Eun-Ji: ...What fans?

**CREW COMMENTARY - LEGAL ADVISORY**

Ugh, I have to do this nonsense too? Fine. I’m [XXXX XXXX] of [XXXX] Productions. They call me in to resolve the not so easy issue that is dealing with international legality and controversies surrounding this production… Even THOUGH it’s obvious what really needs addressing from legal. I swear these idiots have me running around doing more intern grunt work than anything necessary… Oh right. My thoughts on the character. She’s a headache for me. That make you happy?

#  **KENICHI MATSUDAIRA (MATSUKEN)**

Ultimate Shogi Champion

Male - he/him

Hair - Black

Eyes - Silver-Gold, but usually almost shut looking

Height - 5’6” / 168 cm

Light, clean skin tone. Somewhat muscular build, speaks of his martial arts experience. Hair is a simple and clean black bowl-cut, very traditional looking. His bottom layer is a comfortable white kimono. Joining it is red hakama and geta with socks, a very traditional outfit.

Hit: Heated Kotatsu, Soy Dipping

Miss: Fried Foods, Action Games

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: Your name, sir?

Matsuken: Kenichi Matsudaira- but please, call me Matsuken. I believe I was scouted to be the Ultimate Shogi Champion?

???: That is correct! Tell me, why did YOU accept that invite?

Matsuken: Well, I have nothing but love for Hope’s Peak Academy! Really, what kind of question is that? Of course I would love to join the second coming of the most prestigious academy in all of Japan! I would love to be a part of that miracle!

???: Oh, thank you. Any other message? For the fans.

Matsuken: ...Well, I suppose it would be a thank you for the support.

**CREW COMMENTARY - SCENARIO WRITER**

We wanted to go with someone who could really embody a sort of “traditional Japanese spirit.” The notions of the hope of your culture and the legacy of others riding your shoulders… That must make for some stiff damn shoulders, don’t you think? So even if I have reservations about the barebones visual design, I hope you can look beyond that into the heart of this character. Avoid the simple exterior and make true sense of him.

#  **NAOTO PEARLSHORES**

Ultimate Actor

Genderfluid (Fem-Null) - he/him

Hair - Burgundy

Eyes - Violet

Height - 5’8” / 173 cm

Light skin tone, but appears darker due to a tan. A thick build with a round chin that belies the muscle underneath. Hair is in a heart shape, pulled around just one shoulder (which moves if he swings his head). Starting with a purple tunic and beige pants, on top of this is a dark green shawl. A pearl necklace divides head from shoulders on top, alongside a purse and sandals to complete the look.

Hit: Ad-lib Performances, Tokusatsu (especially Sentai)

Miss: Restrictive Scripts, Crime Documentaries

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: Name? For the record.

Naoto: Naoto Pearlshores, sir!

???: Mhm. Okay, and why did you decide to come to Hope’s Peak Academy?

Naoto: Well, isn’t it obvious? It’s like, a place I can belong… Make friends and stuff. Be happy! Hehe.

???: I see. A message for your fans?

Naoto: O-Oh! I didn’t realize… Haha… Well, um, tell them that Naoto says he’s rooting for everyone out there, too!

**CREW COMMENTARY - CONTINUITY SUPERVISOR**

Oh boy, oh BOY. You want ME to talk? You sure? Well, alright. I don’t care about that “No bias!” rule, so I’ll say it- this is my favorite character! Usually managing the continuity between shots and sense of the script for a story as ludicrous as this is awful, but this character helped keep it fun. I’m begging you- please keep him around!

#  **CHIKA ITOU (3KERO)**

Ultimate Music Producer

Female - she/her

Hair - Green

Eyes - Red (real) / Yellow (mask)

Height - 4’7” / 140 cm

Faded brown skin tone, from being indoors and not taking care of her skin. A frail, but average build. Hair is messy and curly in a way reminiscent of those from the Carribean, speaking to a mixed heritage. Below her chibi-styled frog mask comes a complex lolita look. At the bottom visible layer is a white shirt with ruffles hiding her hands. The neck of the shirt is also ruffled white. A puffy lime dress comes above this, ruffled to her knees. A striped green skirt with lolita ruffles rests on the top layer, making three layers of different colored ruffles around her knees. Her legs are covered with green platform boots and black stockings.

Hit: Fresh Pastries, Dragonflies

Miss: Loud Voices, Snakes

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: ...Name, please, for the record.

Sankero: …

???: Okay, well, you wrote “Chika Itou” but also “3kero…” That is your musical act name, yes? So do you prefer Chika?

Sankero: ...Nuh.

???: Then Sankero.

Sankero: Mhm.

???: Alright, little croaking girl. Why did you decide to come to Hope’s Peak Academy?

Sankero: ...Friends.

???: Any special message for everyone out there? ...Guess not.

**CREW COMMENTARY - CHARACTER DESIGNER**

When I was told about her personality and utility in the story, I actually made a very different design than this. Told to make something that would be more upbeat and interesting made me decide to go the extra mile. Hopefully you too get sick of her impossibly sweet exterior… Oh, and with regards to her speaking, that’s apparently what the viewers call a “spoiler.” So I can’t get into the best part about her. What a damn shame… Only idiots think that the value of art is in novelty. The best things are old.

#  **YUSUKE YAMASHITA (2Y)**

Ultimate eSports Manager

Male - he/him

Hair - Black

Eyes - Lavender

Height - 5’2” / 158 cm

Somewhat pale skin tone. Thin build. Hair is short and spiky. He has sleepy eyes. Bottom layer is a t-shirt with the red-yellow explosion logo of REI6N, the “unit” he is a member of as the second. Dark skinny jeans and black sneakers join it. Above this is a navy letterman jacket with a 21 patch on it. White headphones with a black trim and a black facemask accessorize casually, halfway off his face.

Hit: Crowd Energy, Agreeable People

Miss: Controlling Types, Classical Music

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: We don’t have all day, so let’s wrap this up. Name?

Niwai: Err, that’s Niwai. Like, two ‘y’s for the English letter that would be in my name. It’s what-

???: Cool, don’t got time though. Why’d you come to Hope’s Peak?

Niwai: ...Well, it’s school. You should get some learnin’ in, I guess… Mostly I wanna show these clowns how to push buttons right! Gotta train the new generation of this world!

???: Geez, do you not do anything better with your time? Or do you just eat sponsorship ramen 24/7? Whatever. A message for the fans?

Niwai: ...Can I ask why you’re bein’ so rude to me in particular? I feel singled out here…

???: My ex was in a group like yours, you know. I know how your type is. Also, you dragged in the stench of something that’s still illegal in Japan here. I could have you arrested.

Niwai: H-Huh?! No, that’s- I, I’m sober! J-Just ate some trash, really…

???: Shut up! We’ve wasted enough time as-is! NEXT!

**CREW COMMENTARY - LEGAL ADVISORY**

Apparently I must be brief as I am the least likable of the crew. Please, appreciate the effort I put into ensuring our sponsors would contract with a killing game. Oh and of course, please purchase the related video game, hitting store shelves sometime later this year- in honor of the no doubt soon to be deceased, it’s a fighting game from ArcLight Workshop, his favorite developers. That’s all the time I have. Goodbye.

#  **KAZUTO ROMERO**

Ultimate Pathologist

“It’s a secret.” - they/them

Hair - ???

Eyes - Purple

Height - 5’5” / 165 cm

Unknown what they look like. They wear a full body “spacesuit” that is designed for protection against hazards. It keeps everything in, and everything out. The majority of it is red, with “armored” gunmetal parts for the gloves, boots, and casing for the glass over the face. Very little is seen, except for outlines of a head and occasionally a pale, purple eye.

Hit: Proper Protocols, Punctuality

Miss: Rude Behavior, Immaturity

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: ...So uh, name?

Kazuto: Kazuto Romero. Ultimate Pathologist, yes?

???: Y-Yeah… Why don’t you show me your face?

Kazuto: As a child, I was cursed with a deeply flawed body. If I were to experience the outside, it would mean only devastation.

???: O-Okay… Any message for the fans?

Kazuto: I thank all my supporters for helping me get this far. Please, cheer me on.

**CREW COMMENTARY - MEDICAL TEAM**

Oh God, I’m up? Why? Fine. Well, point blank, this kid did our jobs for us. Weird little thing. Enjoy the show, no spoilers, blah blah, why am I here again?

#  **SEIKO ICHIKAWA**

Ultimate Journalist

Female - she/her

Hair - Silver-Blond

Eyes - Reddish Purple

Height - 5’1” / 155 cm

Healthy light complexion. Stocky build. Hair is messy and cut short, with bangs parted over her wide forehead. She has button eyes and buck teeth. Her bottom layer is a black t-shirt branded with her site, FreeYourEye, alongside jeans. Purple sneakers match the following layer of an oversized purple sweater, with her postboy cap and satchel matching brown. Completing her look are thick black-rimmed glasses.

Hit: Teasing People, Solving Mysteries

Miss: Untrustworthy People, Snoring

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: Hello, lovely lady. Might I have your name for the record?

Seiko: Seiko Ichikawa. Are you condescending me?

???: H-Huh? You’re a silly one. Just was-

Seiko: I can already tell what’s in your mind. “Oh the nosy one better not ask questions, that’s not in my job description!” Don’t worry, I won’t bother you.

???: Hahaha… Anyways. Um. Why did you decide to come to Hope’s Peak?

Seiko: ...I love the idea. The ideal… The Headmaster is an amazing man. Him and his wife. ...I’m curious of some things, though. So how else do I learn other than going to school, right?

???: Interesting. Well, what do you want to learn?

Seiko: ...Eheh. Funny, no one said they got a question like this.

???: A-Ah, these are meant to be confidential…

Seiko: That was a bluff. Thanks for confirming what I guessed, though!

???: ...Any message for any fans out there?

Seiko: ...Who’d be a fan of me?

**CREW COMMENTARY - SCENARIO WRITER**

It should be obvious that the investigative journalist provides a pretty easy mouthpiece for a lot of the heavy lifting of detective work. That’s why we’re uh, NOT going to do that. We promise! We’re not lazy hacks on the writing team! ...The director, though… Hahahaha… She’s a bit of a… Hm… O-Oh! _Hahaha, boss! Didn’t see you there! Haha-AUGH!_

#  **DAIKI MAEDA**

Ultimate Fisherman

Male - he/him

Hair - Red-Yellow two-tone

Eyes - Golden

Height - 5’9” / 175 cm

Healthy, well-worn tanned skin. Thick, impressive build, making him look straight out of a battle anime rather than high school. Hair is in a spiky mullet, with some dusting on his chin. His bottom layer is worn-out overalls over a white shirt. Above that is a yellow fisherman’s coat, with well-worn boots. A white-red twisted headband ( _hachimaki_ ) completes his look.

Hit: Sea Salt, Wrestling

Miss: Canned Seafood, Environmental Disasters

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: Okay, name for the record.

Daiki: Daiki Maeda. Nice to meet you!

???: Earnest, huh? Well, whatever. Why’d you come to Hope’s Peak?

Daiki: Simple. I wanted to learn a bit more than how to fish and take down a whale.

???: Hahaha!

Daiki: After all, I like whales. Hunting them gets kind of...upsetting.

???: W-Wait… You still hunt them?

Daiki: Well, of course. It’s our duty as beings of the sea and land to play a part in life’s cycle, don’t you think?

???: Huh. ...Never thought about it like that, although I never did think about it.

Daiki: ...I think you’re forgetting to ask something.

???: H-Hey! Yeah, fine. Any message for the fans?

Daiki, in English: Thank you!

**CREW COMMENTARY - LEGAL ADVISORY**

What an absolute shitshow you’ve given me. A whaler? After all THAT went down and made them more endangered than ever? Lord, I may as well say this is meant to be his execution site, that’ll get the environmental crazies off our backs. Ahem. Fine, keep it short? I hate this one. Next.

#  **KOJI INOUE**

Ultimate Game Developer

Nonbinary Male - they/them

Hair - Black

Eyes - Lime-Green

Height - 5’3” / 159 cm

Scarily pale complexion. A bit underweight looking, most notable is their legs thinned out by disuse due to disability. Hair is messy and goes down to their neck, messy bangs covering their eyes. They wear a simple white shirt underneath a white button-up that is halfway tucked in, with the left sleeve pulled up. Their lower half wears whatever is most comfortable that day, but is usually covered by a special green blanket for weight/heat. A black wrist stabilizer is on their main hand, the left hand, and white slip ons are what they cover their feet with. Completing the look are rectangular, almost cartoonish looking glasses. The wheelchair is a specialty-made sports model that can transform into a more ergonomic design.

Hit: Kombu, Node Interfaces

Miss: Noise Music, Unsteady Ground

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: Hello. Name for the record, sir?

Koji: Hmm… Whose record? Seems an odd request.

???: Uh… It’s just procedure.

Koji: Interesting… Koji Inoue. I work on game development.

???: I see. So the Ultimate Game Developer, yes? Why’d you come to Hope’s Peak?

Koji: ...Heheh, you want to know my reasoning? What for… It will surely bore you.

???: Come on, you’re free to speak here.

Koji: So you really wish to know… It can’t be helped. I suppose… Hm… It is embarrassing to say, however…

???: C’mon…!

Koji: ...Perhaps I wanted to look out for my little brother. He sure is a handful… Maybe.

???: ...Well, any message for the fans?

Koji: Hehehe. Funny, I never thought myself that likable.

**CREW COMMENTARY - EXECUTIVE PRODUCER**

Truth be told, my accountant was the one who told me to reject the director and writing team’s idea. “The costs would be astronomical! Too much to make it proper for a disabled member!” Foolish. This is a Killing Game, we’re civilized people. We can respect the needs of any of our participants. Us in the creative department want to see what hope and despair can do for all kinds of people! After all, can you really call it a story about people if you don’t open your eyes to all kinds of living? That’s what I believe a good story is made of, at least. ...Of course, constant reminder they can die at any time. So don’t get too attached. They’re not real, after all, and neither should your feelings be.

#  **JIRO INOUE**

Ultimate Gamer

Male - he/him

Hair - Black

Eyes - Lime-Green

Height - 5’5” / 165 cm

Unhealthily pale skin tone. Average build with tired, almost depressed eyes. Messy spiky hair. Bottom layer is hidden by an oversized blue hoodie with branding and pins of various awards, along with a monster-designed hood. Below it is loose yellow sweatpants which hang over sandals.

Hit: Acid Jazz, Cooking

Miss: Silence, Tedium

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: Ugh, name.

Jiro: H-Huh? Uh, Jiro Inoue. I’m here with my br-

???: Why are you at Hope’s Peak?  
Jiro: Uh… I wanted to chill with people! Learn stuff, meet people, help my brother around. Since they’re-

???: Yeah, neat, cool. Whatever. Anything else?

Jiro: Err… Did I do something?

???: I hate gamers. Point blank. My ex was a gamer, I should know better than anyone else how scum like you are. Don’t understand how you got here, but whatever. Message for the viewers?

Jiro: H-Huh?! Uh, I…

???: Great, get out.

**CREW COMMENTARY - CHARACTER DESIGNER**

Yeah, yeah, I understand it may be derivative. Especially the notion of the Gamer looking like this. But… Well, you know. It’s an iconic look. And very adorable. So we gave it our own spin, as a tribute. I hope you can see past the monster around this kid, I worked hard to make him shine.

#  **HOMURA SHIRAISHI**

Ultimate Neurosurgeon

Female - she/her

Hair - Seafoam Green

Eyes - Smoky-Green

Height - 5’4” / 162 cm

A notably darker, healthy skin tone, speaking of heritage with Pacific Islanders beyond Japan. Heavyset build, with both a good amount of fat and muscle, and a bit of an overbite. A short and messy mop of green hair. Beneath everything is a well-fitting red kimono, patterned yellow and green with a design that alludes to the story of _Shita-kiri Suzume_ , or the Tongueless Sparrow. Her obi is yellow. She wears well-worn medical clogs. Above everything is a well-worn medical coat and weathered leather bag.

Hit: Sanitary Conditions, Sea Breezes

Miss: Hurting People, Mechanical Environments

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: Name, for the record.

Homura: Homura Shiraishi! Nice to meet.

???: Aren’t you a cutie! I could just eat you up!

Homura: Hahaha… I feel condescended here…

???: WHY’S EVERYONE SAYING THAT?! Whatever! Why’d you come to Hope’s Peak…

Homura: Uh, I’m sorry! Um… Well, I wanted to make more friends. Working all day is lonely and… It’s really draining. Being a doctor isn’t the happiest job…

???: Aww… Well, don’t you worry. You’ll have some wild times here. Anything else for the fans?

Homura: Uhhh… Like social media? I guess that’d be… Thanks for believing in me? I dunno, hehe.

**CREW COMMENTARY - SOUND MIXER**

Really? What, no one actually care about this one? Whatever. She’s real soft-spoken, so you have to turn the volume up like mad. I kinda hated it, my job’s easy except when she’s the one being recorded.

#  **ROLAND FORBAID**

Ultimate Knight

Void - they/them

Hair - Perfect Blond

Eyes - Silver-Blue

Height - 5’10” / 178 cm

A clean, European skin tone. Impressive, athletic build, almost like a Greek statue. Hair is clean and straight, like a mane around their neck. Simple dark gray clothes covered their body for the bottom layer, including something like a turtleneck covering the lower half of their face. A white tunic rested on top of this. Ornate plate armor then sat above this, with a dark cape bearing the royal seal of Novoselic under the shoulder pads. Gauntlets and boots complemented the plate armor.

Hit: Tea, Ceremony and Manners

Miss: Coffee, Rulebreaking

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: Hello, tall, light, and creepy. Name?

Roland: Roland Forbaid.

???: May I ask why you came to Hope’s Peak, sir…?

Roland: Please, no title. I am a knight of no consequence. I suppose I just wanted to find something.

???: What would that be?

Roland: ...I have nothing. I hope to find what I do not have by being among others.

???: Wow… Insightful. Any message? For the fans, I mean.

Roland: ...Please, don’t tease me. You know I-

???: D’aww, is somebody embarrassed?

**CREW COMMENTARY - CONTINUITY SUPERVISOR**

And THIS is why I hate my job. Honestly. Novoselic? Having to manage continuity with a past, unaffiliated project… UGH. UGH, UGH, AND TRIPLE UGH! I hate that! It’s so much research and making sure things line up right so no nitpickers get annoying… Nitpicking is stupid! If something doesn’t ruin the proper THEMATIC LOGIC of the story, who gives a damn about “following laws” of whatever bullshit! I don’t! Hate this job. I wanna write!

#  **YURIKO MORI**

Ultimate //BROKER

Female - she/her

Hair - Unpigmented, Bleached-looking

Eyes - Unpigmented, Silvery

Height - 5’2” / 157 cm

Albinism gives her a pale, pinkish complexion. She is very frail and unhealthily thin. Her hair is a messy forest lacking in pigment, obscuring most of her face. Her bottom layer is a comfortable gray t-shirt (that’s typically covered completely) and black shorts. An oversized gray turtleneck covers her upper body, leaving her legs covered by block socks and white leg warmers that go into gray flip-flops. A silver locket completes the look with necessary eye protection in the form of “granny glasses,” thick sunglasses with a rectangular shape that block out light for protection.

Hit: Dark Places, Noise Music

Miss: Bright Places, Noisy People

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

Yuriko: Can we skip this?

???: H-Huh? Don’t be like that, I’m just gonna ask a few questions. Like your name, for starters.

Yuriko: Yuriko Mori. I just… Wanna get started with class, I was talking to-

???: Uh huh. Well, why did you come to Hope’s Peak.

Yuriko, sighing: Well, I wanted to learn how to help people. And maybe meeting other people will help me out too… That’s what I’d like. Friends and work.

???: Neat. Any message for the fans?

Yuriko: Ahaha… What fans?

**CREW COMMENTARY - SCENARIO WRITER**

I’ll keep unnecessary comments out. I had to rewrite a lot for this one. It makes me sad. I hope you still like her. Goodbye. _B-Boss, I did okay, right? N-No more baseball bats..._

#  **AKEMI TANAKA**

Ultimate MMA Fighter

Female - she/her

Hair - Red

Eyes - Fiery Orange

Height - 6’3” / 191 cm

A weathered, light skin tone with scars all over, most notably one rising up her waist through her stomach. Her build is intensely muscular, throwing her into the cruiserweight class. Her hair is a stylish pompadour with an undercut look to it. She wears briefs and a muscle bra as underclothes, wrapping her hands and feet for fights. On top of this is immediately her baggy beige pants which are tied with a rope, giving a pauper ronin impression. Above is her school uniform in a sort of crop top fashion, known better as an element of _sukeban_ fashion, harsh red with black trim, left open with a black tie keeping it from falling off her shoulders. Lastly she usually keeps a tengu mask half-off on the side of her head.

Hit: Fighting the Strong, Cute Things

Miss: Bullies, “Gross” Things

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: Name? For the record, please.

Akemi: Akemi Tanaka. Who the hell’s askin’?

???: Me, silly! Anyways, why’d YOU come to Hope’s Peak?

Akemi: The hell kinda question is that? I’ve got nothin’ better to do. I… I wouldn’t mind havin’ friends instead of a fight.

???: Aww, cute. Any message for your fans?

Akemi: A-Ah, don’t let my MMA fans know I said that! I’m s’posed to be real scary and shit… Not… C-Cu…

???: You. Are. Adorable!

Akemi: F-Fuck off!

**CREW COMMENTARY - EXECUTIVE PRODUCER**

When I saw the finished design for her all dressed up on the member of the Killing Game, all I could say was: “Way to go team, this one really knocks it out of the park! Now fifteen more times!” Hahaha, I joke, but truly, a strong design. My fear is her stealing the show… Maybe I should hold back my opinions. Uh, wait, what’s her costume costs…? Eh? EH?! THAT MUCH FOR SOME STREET RAT?! Oh no, kill her off fast. She’s not in our budget!

#  **AGITO KAN**

Ultimate Demonic Vessel

“Your Ruler and God, peon.” - they/them //HAHAHAASIF

Hair - White, Interior Red

Eyes - Heterochromatic, Red right and Silver left

Height - 4’8” / 142 cm

Sickly pale complexion. A typical build. Hair is a traditional bowl cut with bangs around a headband. Fitting with their curious, single-character names, is a curious, archaic outfit. Wearing a striking black kimono with imagery of wind etched in, a white obi sash tied from the back splits into two wing patterns, emulating a _karasu tengu_ with the mix of blacks and grays. Tying the outfit are geta buried underneath the kimono, lifting Agito up, while on the head is something like a visor with a black beak shape.

Hit: Good Listeners, Tea and Dango

Miss: Disbelievers, Greens

**CHARACTER INTERVIEW**

???: Name?

Agito: Agito Kan, your supreme-

???: I’m strapped for time. Why Hope’s Peak?

Agito: Tch! To enlighten all you foolish types, of course! Let Us spea-

???: Any other message?  
Agito: Rrrgh! No! You are undeserving of Our-

???: ‘Kay, bye.

Agito: H-HEY!

**CREW COMMENTARY - DIRECTOR**

Truth be told, this little goofball is inspired by a favorite character from, of all things, a martial arts manga (￢‿￢ )! That character’s name iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii//

//AREWELIVE

//funnyfunnyfunny

//Wow,theyreallyputalotofworkintothis.

//Whyteleviseitlikethis?

//dumbdumbdumb

//IDIOTSALLOFTHEM.

#  **ZOI**

//OOPSCANTLOOKATTHISONEYET

//youbadyoubadyoubad

//Ugh,shutup,bothofyou.

//FIXTHEFORMATTINGHOMIE

//nononofinefinefine

//Welive?

//NOTYET

//now we are now we are now we are

//Good. I hope whoever sees this understands, they’re in too deep.

//WELL HAVE FUN

//wow wow wow its happening ! its happening ! its happening !

//Just know, whatever happens, this is absolutely real. That’s why you can’t believe it. Don’t let reality blind you to the truth. Find the real el Dorado.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I can FINALLY start working on Chapter 2. Do these normal character profiles help you out?


	6. DAY 2.1 - STAGE SET! STARS ALIGN!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fuck [1 of 53]

{ IMAGE MIRROR: [DRIVE ](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zA6Of941w0alCdGgZOk6kHLwTN4aJn26/view) }

_…_

_…_

**< < KSHHH >>**

Monokuma, over Speaker: Rrrise and shine, folks! It's a beautiful day for mayhem!

**< < CLICK >>**

_...Ugh._

I felt pure pain in every part of my body.

_I slept like shit…_

Reaching next to me on the bed, I grabbed my sunglasses. Putting those on first, I began to dress myself up, then stopped.

Yuriko: The fuck am I doing, treating this as normal.

_Calm down. You were having nothing but a nervous breakdown yesterday, thanks to a gaggle of fuckwits. Calm down._

Yuriko: First, I woke up here. A bunch of idiots and I learned… F-FUCK!

Pure cold terror made me instinctively grip myself.

Yuriko: Wh-Why?! Why am I the **Ultimate Broker?!** That wasn't the deal! Wh-What if fucking Kotobuki finds me?! Shit, shit, shit!

A burning heat trailed down my face, my vision blurring.

_St-Stop crying, you coward!_

Yuriko: Wh-Why… Why?! Fuck...Where's-

**Knock knock knock.**

_...Fuck._

All I could do was compose myself, washing my face in the bathroom.

**Knock knock knock.**

Yuriko: I hear you… Shut the fuck up…

**Knock knock knock.**

Yuriko: I swear to fuck…

Finished washing off, I swung open the door.

_Son. Of. A. Bitch._

Yuriko what the fuck do you want, dumbass?

The red-haired giant glared at me, but sighed and talked almost monotone.

Akemi: ...Breakfast. In the cafeteria. We're all gonna talk. Hurry up.

Yuriko, smirking: Or else what? Gonna choke me again.

Akemi, glancing away: Sorry.

Yuriko: Huh? I can't hear you…

Akemi: Just shut up and eat… Do you wanna die alone or at least fuckin' try to work together?

Yuriko: Oh, that's rich. Especially coming from-

Akemi: Look, asshole. I get it. I put my hands on you and shit. You still flipped out on a little kid who was absolutely terrified, called everyone awful shit, and was about to kick her. I really don't feel like I have to apologize for stopping you. But guess the fuck what? I'd rather work with even your sorry ass than see people die and get hurt. So quit fuckin' whining, and eat whatever's available and let's just...figure some shit out.

Yuriko: ...Big fucking woop. I'll come if I feel like it.

Akemi, walking off: Your funeral.

I listened to her footsteps stomping off down the hall. Apparently other people were waking up as well, making all sorts of grumbles. I sighed. _Asshole._ Begrudgingly, I left my room and went to the cafeteria, moving through the courtyard. As I prepared to enter, a voice caught me by surprise from behind.

Niwai: Hey.

_Fuck._

Yuriko: ...What is it?

Niwai. annoyingly: Sankero is in there already. She’s gonna be on edge, so just take it easy. And… Please. Try to apologize to her.

Yuriko: Whatever.

Niwai: I’m not askin’ for the world here. Just… I want to make sure we all get along fine. If you can do this one thing, just make up for that yesterday, I’ll do everythin’ to help you out too. I mean this, alright?

Yuriko: Do you just like hearing yourself speak? I get it. I’ll say sorry or whatever.

Niwai: ...Thanks.

 _Even that smile on his face makes me want to puke._ I wanted into the cafeteria, where I saw a few people scattered around already. Sitting at an isolated table, I stirred the omurice with my fork lazily. _Surprisingly gourmet-tier…?_ Footsteps behind me made me flinch.

Seiko: Woah, easy there, partner. Got a minute?

 _Son of a bitch._ The girl adjusted her cap with one hand as she held a tray of her own breakfast food. I stayed quiet, taking a big bite and chewing slowly.

Seiko: I’ll just scooch in right here, then…

I felt my face burn up. _You. Actual. Devil._ The tabloid fly sat next to me, and hummed a tune as she cut some sausage.

Seiko: So, do you mind if I ask you some questions?

Yuriko, chewing: Fugh aufh.

Seiko: I think I get the message. How about a trade?

Yuriko: No.

Seiko: Really? You don’t wanna know anything?

Yuriko: What would some insufferable rumor mill runner give to me? Jack, fuck, and shit. Go away. I dealt with that red gorilla already, I don’t need your bullshit.

Seiko: ...Well, I guess that’s fine. It’s not like Yuriko Mori, the **Ultimate Information Broker** who sold out the underbelly of the Kotobuki Group-

 _Fuckfuckfuck._ My blood turned to ice as she continued talking, a cruel smirk on her face.

Seiko: -would need the help of someone informed in all the ways she’s missing, right?

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. This can’t be real._

Seiko: Just answer some questions. Then we’re all fine, you get me?

_I… I can’t shake. Not in front of her. C-Can’t show fear._

Yuriko: ...What.

Her tone shifted completely, from annoying and probing to ice cold and muted.

Seiko: ...It was before the “Event.” Class 77 of Hope’s Peak Academy was supposedly murdered by the result of some messed-up eugenics project. Now, what happened isn’t key. What matters is that it happened at all, kickstarting all of this nightmare fuel. The first Killing Game, the Event around it… We finally think we’re free, that Despair is dead, and suddenly this happens.

Yuriko: Y-Yeah? So?

_Fuck, I let it slip._

Seiko, focused: “Despair” was eradicated. No… Rather, the worship of...something. Something. Something which drove that “Despair” virus or idea or whatever you call it. People just stopped thinking about it due to the effect of… Some kind of broadcast, I believe. It’s foggy. Is it foggy for you, too?

 _...What is she talking about?_ I took a moment to think. _Nothing… None of that makes sense. What the f-_

Yuriko: Grgh!

I grabbed my head, feeling a jolt of pain.

Seiko: W-Woah! Are you okay? Do you need water?

Yuriko: Sh-Shut up. Just… Ugh… I don’t remember. Happy?

I glared at Seiko, who went silent.

Yuriko: What? Say something!

I then noticed that a water bottle was placed next to me. Turning, annoyed, I saw a bright frog mask looking away from me, the short form standing close.

Yuriko: Uh… Thanks.

Sankero: …

Yuriko: ...You can… You can go, if you wanna.

Sankero: ...KERO.

Yuriko: ...Ugh.

I looked away as she stepped back to her own table, my energy drained. I opened and sipped at the water bottle.

Yuriko: ...Keep talking. I don’t remember jack.

Seiko: ...If you’re in pain, we can-

Yuriko: Does it fucking matter? Keep talking.

Seiko: Alright… Well. That broadcast, its contents, seem to be scrubbed from our minds. However, what matters most is the fact of something else.

Seiko continued with her focused explanation, and I realized that quietly, Eun-Ji and Kazuto had approached the table. Seiko clearly noticed as well, motioning to them as she spoke.

Seiko: In the winter of 2025, after the viral outbreak during the post-Despair reconstruction period, a series of serial killings occurred against the unthinkable: the very think tank and political organizers who helped to bring together the country- no, the world even- in rebuilding the world. In restoring hope. It was seven brutal murders, publicized by the corpses being hung by their intestines out of the National Diet Building. The killer was never found.

Yuriko: ...And?

I found myself in suspense.

Eun-Ji: I heard about this, actually... Didn’t the new administration… That reconstruction neocon party or whatever, try threatening Hope’s Peak with legal action?

_Huh?_

Kazuto: Wait, a political dispute? Where did the murder investigation go?

Seiko: That’s what I came to Hope’s Peak to dig up. Apparently, the killer was a student. And, well, I came to ask you about this, Yuriko. Out of everyone here, the people most likely to know about the truth would be me, the investigator who shines a light on everything, or you, the information broker known for being the beacon in the dark.

Yuriko, bashful: ...Are you just trying to butter me up?

Eun-Ji: Wow… I thought your main emotion was anger.

Yuriko: Shut up.

Eun-Ji: Ah, what a relief… Thought you already cracked on us.

Kazuto: Now now, let us hear this.

Yuriko: ...W-Well, I don’t know anything about the murders beyond what you said. Sorry.

Seiko: C’mon, anything. ...Did you potentially leak the details to anyone who’d be interested in assassinating them?

Yuriko: F-Fuck off, of course not! I mean, even if I did, I don’t snitch! Dumbass!

Seiko: Even though your panic at being outed as the **Ultimate Broker** comes from snitching on the Kotobuki Group.

_Rgh._

Seiko: ...Y’know, we should talk later. I need to do some more investiga-

Daiki: Heyo! Everybody! Breakfast meeting! Come in to the middle table!

Kazuto: Looks like a good time to stop. Let’s bring it in, ladies.

I noticed Eun-Ji rolling her eyes as the spaceman walked to the main table first. She followed in, but Seiko took a look at me and waited as she stood up.

Seiko: Hey, Yuriko.

Yuriko: ...What.

A strange, opportunistic expression painted her face.

Seiko: I do wanna help you. We have mutual interests.

Yuriko: …

Seiko: Alright, let’s get in it.

Walking over with my food, I hovered a few steps away from the rest of the group. I noticed Zeku, Agito, Jiro, and Koji doing similar, with the two brothers next to each other. All around the main table, the leaders of the group were clear by how they stood around everyone in four corners: Kazuto, Niwai, Matsuken, Daiki. _The least surprising set of idiots._

Matsuken: It looks like everyone is here! Even…

He trailed off as he took a nervous glance towards the food, where, of all people, Monokuma was putting things on a plate. _Does that thing even need to eat…?_

Daiki: Anyways, we’re all here. Yesterday was...very rough. We were all on edge, and maybe even said or did things we didn’t mean.

_Chickenshit._

Daiki: So, we’re going to work on the cause of this.

I sighed, preparing to get called in front of everyone as I picked at the last bits of omurice.

Kazuto: It is undoubtedly very clear what the problem is here. We are suffering from a plague of misunderstanding of one another, and lack of information of where we are. The who, the where, the why… All these questions need to be addressed if we are to trust one another. I trust this makes sense?

Niwai: Whatever happened yesterday… I know it’s a lot to ask but… Let’s all try and forgive. We may not forget, but we can at least fix that rough start and make a better step forward.

 _Here it comes…_ I felt my cheeks flare up, and looked away.

Niwai: I trust you guys to take this into your hands, alright? You can make all those connections right. Apologizin’ and talkin’ with each other… We’re people. We don’t got lizard brains. We can use our words.

_...Huh?_

Niwai sat down as Matsuken began to talk.

_Wait a second._

Matsuken: Our focus right now, beyond smoothing out any issues, should be learning more about this place. Perhaps the more focused of you have already scoped things out, but I think we should all take the time to do our own sweeps of the area. We can move together in groups. However…

He trailed off with apprehension, taking a glance back.

Matsuken, softly: Well, the things that bear said are still to be kept in mind. And apparently an assembly to clarify, since yesterday was interrupted…

Kazuto: I believe we should explore in groups of no less than three. That would make it five groups, with one of those being a group of four. And no one can be alone ever, unless if they tell the rest of the group. Any splits into pairs need to be made clear. Agreed?

They looked to all of us for approval.

Homura: ...Um. In that case, I’ll be with Zeku. Their health is my primary concern, out of everyone here.

Naoto: Then I can be with Sankero, yeah? She’s really taken a liking to me and all, so…

The frog helmet bobbed aggressively in agreement.

Daiki: Let’s slow down. Before we split up into groups, we need to do a couple things. Namely, we need to make sure everyone agrees with this arrangement.

Niwai: No decisions without the group’s approval. Compromise, cooperation, community. The three ‘C’s for us all to be happy campers, right? So anyone got any issues, suggestions, whatev’? You can say it now. If not, you can tell any of us four-

Agito: Ahem.

Niwai, sighing through a smile: ...Five, later.

 _So the goblin thinks its in charge? Stupid…_ Everyone was quiet.

Kazuto: Looks like we are in agreement. Good! Let’s organize ourselves, then. Each of us in charge will serve as the head of a group, to help keep things orderly. So if you’ve decided on a pair already, just pick one of us.

Agito: Remember, peons, We are here as well. Do not fight over being in Our presence. It’s uncouth.

I sighed, and went back to my table to sit away from everyone. They made noise as they organized themselves into triplets.

Niwai: Uh, yo.

I turned to face him.

Yuriko: What?

Niwai: Everyone’s waitin’ on you. You can pick any group.

Yuriko: It’s not like anybody really wants me around, dumbass.

Niwai: ...Look. I get that it’s stressful, and you feel unsafe, but we ain’t your enemy. There’s larger things at work here that we-

I stood up, feeling the heat fill my face.

Yuriko: Oh believe me, I fucking KNOW there’s things beyond us going on! Fuck, I know that every damn day! That’s my life’s work, you jackass! Leave me the fuck alone, I don’t trust any of you gutless, pussy-foot motherfuckers even if I COULD throw you! Fuck off, fuck off, and FUCK. OFF.

I threw the tray off the table, and stormed away from them, leaving the cafeteria. I entered the courtyard, and decided to head off to the doors on the opposite side. Going in, I took a right, and saw a long hallway. Grumbling nonsense sounds, I walked down it for maybe even five minutes- _Is this the whole length of the building or some shit?_ \- and went into the room at the end of the hall.

Yuriko: ...Ah. That sign did say ‘Nurse…’

On one wall were cabinets filled with all sorts of bottles and solutions, a sink with all sorts of cleaners on the countertop, and even a mini-fridge for some reason. _Didn’t that freaky one get brought to here, actually?_ There was even one of those things you see in the doctor’s, that’s like a weird bed, along with a small desk and computer.

Yuriko: Hm…

Taking a look, I saw that the computer was actually plugged in. Better yet, I was able to turn it on, but was met with a login screen.

Yuriko: Ahhh, bullshit. Whatever…

Looking around, I decided to investigate the medicine cabinet. As I opened it up easily, my blood ran cold.

_What._

**HYDROCHLORIC ACID: 95% SOLUTION**

_The._

**RICIN / CASTOR OIL: PURE**

_Actual._

**BOTULINUM TOXIN: PURE**

_Fuck._

I stood there for a moment, stunned by the wide array of poisons, acids, paralyzing agents, and other tools of a trade I knew about through colleagues and peers from my work. This was the first time I’ve seen them in person.

Yuriko: What the fuck, what the fuck…

Each had a label, descriptive as to the effects.

**Eats away at the living tissues of the body as an acidic substance, causing a painful burn. Useful for causing immediate distress, but not death unless if prolonged exposure is possible.**

**Causing cell death, any small injection of the material is incredibly fatal. Next best is taking it in via consumption, where slightly higher-**

Yuriko: Sh-Shit, what the fuck is this?!

I slammed the cabinet shut. A bottle in another fell over. Trying to settle down, I shakily opened the cabinet, and managed to catch it as it rolled out.

**CURARE: PURE**

**Paralyzes the body when-**

Yuriko: F-Fuck… I think I’m gonna be sick…

I closed the cabinet cautiously, and stepped back, trying to steady myself. The door to the nurse’s office swung open gently. _Ohhh fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

Agito: Fuh… So this is where you were. You had all of us- Ourselves included- worried sick, you know.

I tried to not shake as footsteps came closer.

Zeku: Uh… Yuriko?

I tried to not cry as footsteps came closer.

Homura: ...Yuriko, can you put that down?

Shaking, feeling hot streaks of terror going down my face, I looked at her.

Homura: ...Y-Yuriko, please.

She gently, carefully unlocked my hands around the bottle, putting it on the counter as she kept one hand around mine.

Homura, calm: ...Yuriko, you can talk okay?

Yuriko: I-It’s not what it looks like.

Homura: …

Yuriko: I-It’s not. I… I-I wasn’t tr-trying to kill anyone! I-I-

Homura: It’s okay, it’s okay. No one’s mad. Y-You’re stressed, you’re scared… It’s okay. No one blames you.

Yuriko: N-No, not th-that either! I-I just… G-Got scared by it!

Homura: ...Yuriko, your behavior’s concerning.

_Fuck, n-no, this isn’t real… Is this shrink really trying to imply some shit?!_

Homura: But. I trust you. So if you say you just got scared by the cabinet full of poisons, or by us coming in here, then I understand. That is scary. This is all scary.

She gave me a smile. Something in me felt like it snapped.

Homura: Please, you can count on me. I want to help you.

Agito: It’d certainly help your dour looks if you learned to smile more, you know.

Their small form walked up to us, Zeku trailing behind quietly.

Agito: You spend all this time clashing with others over these paranoias, when truthfully, We cannot even fathom if others care enough for those paranoias.

Homura: A-Agito!

Agito: Indifference is what we all had when being abducted to here. We have vague recollections of having met each other in some form, perhaps, but beyond the siblings, none of us know each other. We do not care for each other. Therefore, we do not hate each other. As simple as that.

Silence for a moment before they continued.

Agito: If we cared enough to hate you, then no one would extend a hand as you suffer in self-inflicted, antisocial cesspools. No, these people are innately kind. They wish to offer you a place to belong during a time full of uncertainty and peril. Is that not the pinnacle of society and civilization?

Agito sighed.

Agito: So, just say “yes.” Reciprocate that kindness people give you. Then indifference will turn to love, not hate. Can you do that?

I took it all in for a moment.

Homura: ...I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve said so far.

Agito: Hmph. We do not need to work when there are such trustworthy humans working.

Homura: ...Err, but yeah. Yuriko. You can trust us. If not the others, then… At least let me help.

I looked away, moving my hands from Homura’s. Wiping my nose and face, I took a long sigh.

Yuriko: ...Fine. Yeah, I get it. I’m just...overwhelmed. There’s a lot of shit racing through my head. Fuck, whatever.

Homura: ...Why don’t you come with us? I already investigated this room yesterday, we can look around the whole floor on our own.

Agito: Come along. We cannot spend all day crying in a room smelling of medicine.

Yuriko, muted: ...Fine.

I went along with them, leaving the room.

_...But that computer…_

We walked down the long hallway again. I felt anxiety seize at my throat, so I coughed, then turned to Zeku.

Yuriko: You’re awfully quiet.

Zeku, nervous: Oh? Y-Yeah…

Yuriko: ...What? You got nothing to say?

Zeku: ...Sorry.

I sighed, thinking of anything to ask the freak, or at least just talk about.

Yuriko: So you… Uh, that first time. When you had…an “issue.”

Zeku shifted uncomfortably as they walked. Homura and Agito had a bit of distance from us.

Yuriko: You just started started screaming out of nowhere… You uh. You good?

Zeku, quietly: I… I’m sorry about that.

 _Jeez, this is impossible._ I clicked my tongue.

Yuriko: So, uh, what’s your deal. No Talent, so like...do you like-

Zeku: Th-That’s not true! I… I have a Talent, I’m sure of it.

Yuriko: ...What is it, then?

Zeku, quiet: ...I remember being the **Ultimate Transfer Student.**

For a moment, I could barely hold it in.

Yuriko, giggling: That doesn’t sound like a “Talent,” LOL.

Zeku, smiling oddly: I guess you’re right, but… I don’t know…

I sighed, smirking. At this point, we made it to the end of the hall, and Agito spoke up, walking backwards as they spoke to everyone.

Agito: So, peons. The room we’re going to explore will be the next one. [ According to the map ](https://66.media.tumblr.com/54e7cee397a4875a328dc0ecf54a3f57/c78196f967ed0462-8b/s2048x3072/4ae33dd4c7f582ed93aca52b55fff506ae47f970.png), it is a stage with an attached backstage area. We should investigate it thoroughly for any sort of entertainment to soothe our minds as we plan an escape.

I scoffed, which didn’t go unnoticed.

Agito: Oh? What do you want to say, Onryo?

I clicked my tongue at the nickname.

Yuriko: Well, it’s dumb to assume we’re escaping at all.

A dark expression crossed their face.

Agito, coldly: Watch your tongue, or I may eat it myself.

Homura, unsettled: H-Hey now…

Agito, blinking: I… We have faith in the cooperation of everyone. Come along, we have work to do.

They faced forward again, more distant from the three of us trailing behind. Homura looked around nervously before following. Zeku seemed their usual brand of distressed. As a group, we entered the stage room.

Zeku: Oh…

Homura: My…

Yuriko: Fucking…

Agito: US!

I wasn’t sure what I was more stunned at- the gold-trimmed, prime leather seating for the audience was immaculate, while the stage itself was flanked with impressive red curtains that opened up to a vivid setpiece of some kind of castle. All that stunned confusion and impressed shock died when I saw, of all things…

_That fucking bear._

Monokuma: Hmhmhm~... Ah, I have to rehearse! Ahem… A-A-Ahem!

Agito, grimacing: Tch. We may as well try our best to look around. We believe one of the other groups is near, as well.

Agito smiled at the rest of us. The group spread out, searching the massive space. With distance, I cleared my head.

 _...Fuck._ The room was too dark, so I took off my sunglasses. _They think I'm some sociopath, or think I'm gonna drink some poison overnight._ The seats were comfortable and soft, while the gold was real. _They all hate me, they probably want me to. Why shouldn't they?_ I sat down, heat cooking my brain. _Why the fuck is this happening to me? I was supposed to be spared…!_ I felt stinging heat go down my face, my nose sniffling. _Why am I alone? Why did the two shut-ins get to be together? Fuck… Fuck… Fuck…!_ My vision warbled, the light streaking even worse. _G-Goddammit…!_

Yuriko: H-Hehehe…

I let it slip.

Yuriko: H-Hahaha… Wh-Which one?

A flood vomited from my face, my thoughts spilling out with snot and tears.

Yuriko: Th-There's no one to help. I h-have to defend myself. Y-Yeah… Th-That's it. I need s-something…to protect myself… J-Just like before...

I felt a wave of nausea and heat flood my brain. _Fuuuck…_

Yuriko: I-It’s not like it’ll be different… K-Killing again…

Slowly, reality came back to me, along with a painful migraine.

Yuriko: ...Dammit. M-My big mouth…

Eun-Ji: I'll keep it to myself.

I gasped, freezing up, feeling myself double over instinctively to hide. _N-No._

Eun-Ji: Relax… I just wanna talk.

Her weird, breathy voice messed with my ears.

Eun-Ji: How about a trade… I'll tell you something while we wait on the assembly.

Yuriko: H-Huh…?

Eun-Ji: Monokuma must've ignored your group… Everyone else seemed to leave you to cry it out. But the assembly is happening now...in here. That’s what the bear said.

I rubbed my temple, and wiped my face with my shirt. Putting my sunglasses on to hide my bleary eyes, I sighed.

Eun-Ji: Do you remember the work you did before being kidnapped…?

Yuriko, weakly: ...What's it to you?

Eun-Ji, turning away: When the Event began, Vietnam started going up in smoke… It turns out, against an overwhelming breakdown of all reason, even normal people go crazy. And truths get learned… Apparently my dad was Korean, and he wanted to save me. Little me… Daughter of a president.

I stayed silent.

Eun-Ji: So my dad then gets shot in front of me, not because of Despair or even during the Event, but during reconstruction… Because you gave someone the information.

Yuriko: …Why? Why tell me this?

Eun-Ji, bored: I wanted to say this to who was responsible for my dad's murder… I wanted to say it and take the light from their eyes… But you?

She looked at me, her red eyes burning coldly into mine.

Eun-Ji, standing: Even if we need to kill each other, seeing you like this is enough…

She walked away.

Niwai, out of breath: O-Oh, Yuriko! Yo… You...alright? Heard you...were cryin'... Hoo… Sorry. After the assembly… W-We're meeting up in the cafeteria for lunch. And talkin'. About...this and findings. See ya then!

He walked off. I sat alone, letting my head go blank.

Monokuma: Ahem! To make up for the failings of yesterday thanks to some RUDE individuals, allow me to present the Killing Game properly! NO QUESTIONS TIL THE END!

Monokuma, pacing on stage: So, the Killing Game. It's simple. You fools are trapped here until someone kills another- no more than two. From that point, its a battle of wits and bloodthirsty backstabbing as the fiendish killer must avoid being found guilty! An investigation of the killing will be held, followed by a trial, where after discussion you vote on the guilty, blackened one. I trust this is all clear?

Monokuma, pointing: So, do you know what happens when one is caught? EXECUTION! Glorious, swift justice for all to see! And when they evade justice? FREEDOM! As deserved of one wise enough to avoid being caught by the Game's law. Clear enough for you idiots?

Niwai: And what if no one kills?

Monokuma: Upupu, you again. Try and fight it, it'll happen. Especially when I have...your first MOTIVE!

Something like party poppers crackled around the bear, littering the stage. He posed, arms spread wide as he continued.

Monokuma: Check under your seat. Without you noticing, I snuck something special underneath! Go on, take a look!

Koji: And for myself?

Monokuma, flustered: Yours is with your brother's.

I slowly reached under my seat, tiredly scratching at the underside of the cushion. Feeling something like paper, I pulled it off some adhesive. Finding an envelope with my name on it, I opened it.

_...Huh?_

Inside was something like a flash drive, featureless otherwise.

Akemi: The hell is this?

Monokuma: Upupu, it’s not a mixtape! It’s your **MOTIVE!** On that disc, perfectly compressed, is your memories.

Koji: Absurd. Memories, compressed on a thumb drive? Absolutely absurd…

Jiro: H-Hey… Let’s not interrupt…

Monokuma: You are quite right, my technical friend! Absurd it is! But it is true! This contains everything needed to activate the machine that will grant you back your memories of the past… Er, let’s not say how long, shall we? Upupu. After successful escape, I will award the killer with their memories!

Seiko: S-So, wait a minute, what if we catch any would-be killer?

Monokuma: Then too bad! The mystery thickens for you! Any more questions from the peanut gallery? Such as… “What if I don’t have one?”

An audible reaction from Zeku.

Zeku: A-Ah… Ahhh…?

They shrunk in their seat, shaking. _Idiot._

Zeku: ...I-I don’t have one.

Monokuma: Well, it looks like you know everything already. Don’t need my help!

Zeku: B-But… B-But I-!

Monokuma: Geez, you’re so annoying. Quit bothering me! All of you! Just get to killing!

Disappearing, the stage went dark.

Niwai: ...Okay, everyone, we should meet for lunch and clear up anythin’.

Koji: Such as?

Niwai: ...Like, how we’re makin’ sure we don’t see any deaths happen. C’mon, guys. Let’s all just play it smart, right?

Kazuto: Niwai is right. In fact, I have an idea myself. May I share it?

Niwai: Y-Yeah. Go ahead, Kaz!

Kazuto: Backstage are all sorts of tools and equipment for a performance, along with various screenplays. Imagine what morale would be like with a rousing performance we all work together on!

Niwai appeared to think on it. I rolled over in my seat, tuning out the conversation.

Matsuken: I agree. It seems like a good plan, I’d be willing to help with coordination. Your “partner in crime,” even! Hahaha! ...My apologies, that’s a grim joke.

_All the usual idiots in charge…_

They continued talking, planning out some kind of performance or another. I sighed, getting out of my seat and quietly leaving the stage. Stepping into the atrium, exhausted, I walked towards the cafeteria, looking to just grab food and go to my room with the drive.

_...What if this can work with-_

A small form tackled into me.

Agito: PEON!

Yuriko, winded: PLGUEGH!

I stumbled, barely able to hold their wait.

Agito, annoyingly: Let’s play!

Yuriko: Get off me, you stupid goblin!

Agito, annoyed: Never! Lead my greatness to my feast!

Yuriko, aside: Rgh… What’s gotten into th-them?! After saying that shit earlier…

Agito, playing with my hair: Nuh-uh, nuh-uh! Walky, walky, walky!

Yuriko: AIGH-TAH-Ooowch! N-Not the hair, asshole!

I managed to pry the smaller kid off me, and glared directly in their eyes. _Huh… Were they always that color of silver?_

Agito: You’re a funny one, peon! I didn’t say you get to leave. You gotta get us food too!

Yuriko, putting down Agito: I’m not anybody’s slave, asshole. I’m exhausted. Just get off my case.

Agito: ...I see. You can’t accept it, huh.

Yuriko, unsettled: Accept what?

Agito: Win or lose the game, kill or be killed, it doesn’t matter. So why make a fuss about it?

Yuriko: ...Huh.

I had no idea what they were talking about.

Agito: Point blank, my homeslice. Simple as that, skillet. Why lose your mind over any of this? Why cry and-

I turned around, walking to the cafeteria.

Agito: Hey! I’m talking to you!

Yuriko: And I’m leaving.

_I don’t need someone else riding my ass about this._

Agito: Yu-Yu-Yuriko, you don’t refuse a demon lord’s advice. If I say you care too much, then you care too much. Listen to what I say.

Yuriko: Just sh-shut up!

I entered the cafeteria, immediately going to grab a plate and ignore the gremlin whose geta clopped behind me.

Agito: Even now you’re so angry and upset! You care too much about people! That’s why you take all this so harshly! You can’t act like you’re above and separate from the rest, if you can’t truly distance yourself from them! Take the way the demon offers you! Stop caring!

Yuriko, snapping: Shut up, or I really will **KILL** you.

Agito looked in my eyes cooly, contrasting my huffing.

Agito, smirking: You tempt the demon at your own peril. I could just eat that emotion up, if you’re not careful. Why don’t we relax over lunch?

Yuriko: Sh-Shut up. Fuck you. I don’t… UGH, MY HEADACHE’S WORSE. I don’t give a shit. Fine? Whatever. Shit.

I sat down with my full plate at the nearest table, Agito sitting across from me. Lunch was surprisingly delicious spaghetti.

Agito: ...Are you aware that the game’s in motion already?

Yuriko: Ohoho, I fucking know, asshole.

Agito: With that temper, and that care for everyone, you probably think you’re the target. Indirectly, I suppose, but come on now. That’s not how any demon thinks, except for the lowest levels of slimes.

_...What plane is this kid on, an RPG’s?_

Agito: Your behavior is erratic, loud, obnoxious, spiteful, and generally unpleasant. Naturally, that means even the most sympathetic and empathetic don’t support you, at least when the trap is sprung. But I do. A devil is your only lifeline out here. Don’t you think you should have SOMEONE to trust?

Yuriko: ...You talk all assured, like some shit’s going down. How do you know? And how do you know it’s not me planning it?

Agito, confident: Because you’re many things, but not an idiot who plays in the first act. And the ones who would… Well, my eye is on anyone, from that doctor, to that nervous one who helps his brother in the wheelchair, or even the actor. Actors tend to be good liars. I feel something kindred from that one.

Yuriko, wary: A-And… What do you want with me?

Agito: Did you really forget, peon? For someone so concerned with the Killing Game, you certainly didn’t pay attention. During the first day, it was mentioned- the “Accomplice License.” We are to find that, and secure it. We will never use it, but we can manipulate the Game for ourselves using it.

I felt my blood turn cold.

Yuriko: ...Wh-What the fuck. Why would you do that?

Agito, taken aback: Isn’t it obvious? A demon will use any means at his disposal.

The little one cutely finished eating, sighing with contentment.

Agito: If we discover who the mastermind behind this is, we’ll use any tools or power at our disposal, even if that’s the others.

I sat there for a moment, processing everything just said.

Agito: ...I trust you know to keep this between just us, for your genuine safety.

Those silver eyes smiled warmly as the rest of the group entered.

Daiki: There you guys were! We got worried!

Kazuto: Ah, a headstart on lunch? I’ll be taking that to my room, then.

Seiko: Why don’t you just take off your dang spacesuit?

Kazuto: Well, I am the Pathologist. In order to best study these viruses, I injected myself with each of them- overcoming them, I made every vaccine necessary that gave me my Ultimate Talent. I am something like a petri dish, and cannot be exposed.

Everyone uncomfortably looked at them.

Kazuto: RELAX! It’s only a jest! I just… H-Have a certain deformity. Shameful. I don’t like exposing people to it, it’s rather unpleasant. I can eat in the corner again, you do not need to worry!

Having finished eating, I looked at my half-full plate.

Agito: Remember, just us, alright?

A wink.

_...What do I do about any of this?_

_...No. What can I at least do now?_

**{ FREE TIME START! }**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spinny spin spin, peon.


	7. DAY 2.2 - Z FROM T, Z = T?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Free Time Events! Totally optional Free Time Events, trust me! Also I really wish I was a good enough artist to make some of the better moments in here.

{ MAP MIRROR: [ DRIVE ](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zA6Of941w0alCdGgZOk6kHLwTN4aJn26/view) }

Nervously, I looked away from Agito as they went with the other self-appointed leaders. I gingerly poked at lunch, not hungry anymore. After some time, Niwai stood on a table and spoke.

Niwai: Yo, so, everyone. We've decided that, to give y'all breathing room, we'll be posted at some key spots around this place. If you check the map, you should see where we're referrin' to. I'll be in the atrium myself, seein' comin' and goin'.

Daiki: You can find me at the corner between the stage room and the long hallway. I'll keep a good eye on both spots, I'm a fast runner.

Matsuken: I myself will be around the giant symbol of Hope's Peak Academy on the floor. That means I have an eye on our bedrooms' entrance, and I will leave that door open just in case.

Kazuto: I will be busy in the stage room, if you wish to find me. Any who would like to help decide on and set up the play can come with me! We stop at dinner.

Niwai: Stay cozy. If anything, ping the closest one of us on your e-Book, 'kay? We'll sprint down.

The four began to get up, alongside everyone else. Koji and Jiro stayed together as they went to the assembly room, as did Eun-Ji, while most others left through the atrium exit. Only Zeku remained, eating slowly, with Homura watching them.

_What can I at least do now?_

**{ FREE TIME START! }**

Part of it was the fear of isolation, the other was my newfound fear of being around Agito, and the rest was sheer boredom overwhelming all other emotions. I sighed, and went into the assembly hall.

Eun-Ji was already exiting into the hallway to the sleeping quarters. I then heard a voice.

Koji: My my, quite the unexpected guest.

Jiro: Uh… What’s up?

Yuriko: I’m bored. Isn’t there anything for the geeks like us to do in here?

Koji: Oh? You put yourself in the same camp as my brother and I?

Jiro: H-Heh, ignore Koji’s tone. They mean well. We were actually talking about figuring out hacking these little smartphone things, since it’s not against the rules or anything. Wanna help out?

_Should I really spend time around these two weirdos? They haven’t been as annoying as the rest…_

**> >Yes**

_Whatever._ I sat down next to Jiro, leaning back and facing the ceiling.

Yuriko: I’m not a brainy coder or anything, but if there’s anything the Ultimate Game Developer can’t figure out, pass it my way.

Jiro: Got it! I can’t do much myself…

Koji: Intriguing. You didn’t strike me as the helpful type.

Yuriko, annoyed: Ah, screw you. I can go.

A chuckle from them.

We passed the time like that, poking and prodding at the different aspects of the e-Handbook…

…

Koji: Hm…

Jiro: Did you get anything yet?

Koji: Not yet.

Yuriko, sighing: It’s been like an hour. Shouldn’t we just call it quits if none of us can brute force a vulnerability anywhere?

Jiro: You might be right. I’m usually good at cracking open bugs, but this little thing is airtight. Just when was it put together?

Koji: ...No matter. Our efforts were not fruitless, though the fruit born was far from citrus. Nevertheless, at least we verified a few things.

**Did You Know?? TECH SCIENCE!! YURI-KOJI ALLIANCE!!**

  * **The MonoMessenger App allows for unique MonoSticks! Pep up your chats with these unique, expressive Monokuma-themed icons!**


  * **The MonoMessenger App allows for the creation of group chats! Make it a party! Make it a killing party! Exclude who you don’t like! Exclude who you’re conspiring against!**


  * **The MonoMessenger App allows for voice calling during the daytime, and is connected to an internal recorder of up to 3 hours of audio data! You can probably eavesdrop on someone with this!**


  * **The MonoMap will update in the event of a murder to include noteworthy data! You can add your own pins and notes whenever, too! Plan your escape routes!**


  * **The MonoMap will update if there’s any damage or major alterations to the floor layout! How considerate!**


  * **More functions will be added to your e-Handbook in the future! Customer satisfaction is the rule here at MonoCorp!**



I glared at Monokuma, who was in a mascot costume of Monokuma.

Monokuma: Thank you for using our products!

Yuriko: Wh-Why the hell did you say any of that?

Monokuma, different inflection: Thank you for using our products!

Koji: Neither of us really sound like that…

Jiro: And where’s me in the alliance? Hmph…

Monokuma, upset: Thank you for using our products…

The annoying bear left as always. Suddenly, a notification from our e-Books. We all checked it.

Koji, sighing: That ursine threw us all into a group chat with it involved to say all that. I mean… It’s clearly spying on us one way or another, but that’s too personal. Maybe for everyone’s sanity we can make our own “private” one.

Yuriko: Do that. I don’t want my name attached to that dumb toy’s nonsense.

Jiro, sighing: Hah… At least we got something done. Still no games though…

Yuriko: Jeez, you must really like your games, huh? Not surprising, considering your Talent…

Jiro: I mean, yeah. But more for me and my brother both. It’s boring just doing the essentials.

Yuriko: Essentials? What, “talking” all the time is essential?

Jiro: Nah. I mean, kinda? But social contact isn’t… I mean…

He paused, almost cautiously.

Yuriko: What? Spit it out.

Jiro: Well, I mean, you’re clearly albino, right?

Yuriko: I HAVE a few forms of albinism. It’s not like a race or whatever where I am it, but yeah. What’s your point?

Jiro: So like, you gotta wear sunglasses for your eyes’ albinism and live a different way cause of it. My bro needs a lot work to get around.

Koji: Jiro, I get the feeling you’re the only one of us who’s ashamed to give me baths…

Jiro: N-Nah, bro! I love… Okay, w-wait, hang on!

The creepy-faced one in the wheelchair made an equally creepy laugh. For once, I agreed with an idiot around here though. It was painfully boring.

Jiro: A-Anyways! My point is-

Yuriko: I get it. You help your infinitely cooler brother do the shit he needs. Whomp whomp, we all can see that already. You said it in the most awkward way, dumbass.

Jiro: Urgh… I’m not dumb…

Koji: Do not worry about her abrasive nature. This is the most caring she’s gotten with anyone, I believe.

Jiro, shrugging: I guess so.

I clicked my tongue, trying to look frustrated as my sunglasses hid an embarrassed glance. _Hate to say it, but you’re right._ I sighed, and went to leave.

Koji: Oh my, leaving so soon?

Yuriko: Being around you two gives me a headache. See ya.

Jiro: ...It wasn’t a “goodbye” forever, right?

I closed the door to the cafeteria, hoping to snack on something before looking for someone else to busy my time with. Apparently some others had the same idea, like that actor, Naoto, and- _Ah, hell._

Naoto: Sankero, can you get this plate?

Sankero, chipper: KERO, KERO?

Naoto: Mhm! Thanks! Oh, uh… Hi, Yuriko.

The energy of the room clearly changed as I was noticed. I rolled my eyes, and approached the food myself, noticing just how stacked Naoto and Sankero’s five plates were.

Yuriko: You two really gonna eat all that on your own, or what?

Naoto: Oh no, this is for the people setting up the stage! We’re helping out!

Sankero: KERO…

Yuriko: Those idiots are really doing it, huh…

Naoto: Do you wanna help out?

Yuriko, snarkily: Do I?

Naoto, brightly: Do you?

Sankero, nervous: K-KERO?

_Argh… Do I really wanna hang around the theater geeks?_

**> >Yes**

_I may as well get this out the way._

Yuriko: Whatever. Gimme a plate.

Sankero flinched, but then handed me one.

Naoto, warmly: Thanks, Yuriko. I’m sure everyone will be glad for your help. We’re still just figuring out the script to use, really, but finished cleaning the stage. Kazuto suggested we take a break, so we volunteered to get food for everyone.

Yuriko: Cool, whatever. Can I talk to the uh…in private?

Naoto, thinking: Hm?

Naoto, realizing: Oh! Um… I’ll be right outside, okay, Sankero?

Sankero, aware: K-KERO…

Naoto left for the atrium first, and waited right by the glass doors.

Yuriko: So, uh… Y-Yeah, I was all tense and shit yesterday. I said… Okay, maybe I DID some shit too. B-But…

Sankero stayed silent. The mask’s blank expression seemed to judge me.

Yuriko: O-Okay, well. You know what I’m trying to say. Shit…

I looked away from her face, trying to keep it together.

Yuriko, tearing up: I am sorry. That good? I’m sorry, I was all bitchy and agitated and shit. Fuck… Th-This is hard, okay?! I’m sorry!

**Click. Click.**

I looked back, and saw that Sankero had put the food back on the serving table for a moment. She was fiddling with her helmet, and took it off. A soft, brown face looked up at me with candy-red eyes and short grassy green curls. She smiled brightly. I felt something hot sneak through my sunglasses.

Yuriko: I-I… Fffuck. Thanks… I… You do, right?

She nodded, flashing white teeth, before putting her helmet back on. I tried wiping my face with my shoulder, and we stepped into the atrium.

Naoto: All set to go?

Yuriko: Y-Yeah.

Sankero, nodding: KERO!

We walked through the atrium and around the bend- past Daiki, who waved- to the stage area. Going to the stage, everyone was sitting around the front row, relaxing with a clean stage behind them.

Naoto: We’re back!

Sankero: KERO!

Kazuto: Ah, you made it! And look who decided to help out! Glad you came, Yuriko!

Yuriko: Yeah, sure.

I looked over the group, and set the food down on the stage right next to Kazuto. Beyond the spaceman, Naoto, Sankero, and myself, it was Roland, Seiko, and… Eun-Ji and Akemi. _Fuck, not again._ I nervously sat a few seats away from everyone, trying to stay distant.

Kazuto: So, I gathered the options for scripts here. There were a few more, but they seemed… Uncomfortable or tragic, so I decided against them.

Eun-Ji: A shame… That “Golden Dioscuri - A Star-Crossed Love,” caught my eye.

Akemi: What’s that one even about?

Eun-Ji: A pair of heroic twins-

Seiko: W-We really don’t need to hear anymore. I’m familiar, it’s schlocky.

Eun-Ji: Doesn’t that just make it more fun, though…

Seiko: Never took you as a fan of schadenfreude.

Kazuto: ...So, the ones that are fine in tone and content, I have right here, and will list off. Are we all ready?

Everyone, excluding myself, agreed.

Kazuto: And Yuriko?

Yuriko: ...Sure. I guess I can help. Are we just voting, or what?

Roland: It may be better to discuss them. Since we want to pick something which is uplifting, but to avoid being heavy-handed, multiple perspectives will help.

Kazuto: All in favor?

Various murmurs of agreement began the meeting of snacks and scripts…

…

Kazuto: So. Are we all in agreement?

Akemi: I still love this one though! You got action, you got cute animals, I bet we can figure out something for the props!

Sankero, shaking head: KERO, KERO!

Akemi, shocked: A-Ah?! Why not!

Seiko: Well, beyond the fact its prose is sooo dang trashy, I don’t think we can exactly replicate that weird alien rabbit thing it’s asking for with the props backstage.

Akemi: Psh… You’re a journalist. You report what’s already there. Can you get creative? C’mon tell’er, Naoto!

Naoto: I’m afraid I agree with Seiko, Akemi.

Akemi: Ah, dammit.

Eun-Ji: Anyone else surprised at the… Obsession with the cute things?

Roland: Hah, we all bear our own eccentricities. Your speech pattern, my mask...

Akemi, turning red: H-Hey! Shut up!

Kazuto: Hahaha, so I take it that means “Battle of Hearts in the Space of Souls - A Stageplay Adaptation” is off the table. What of “A Night of Knights?”

Naoto: Well, it has drama, action, romance… But no deaths or extreme violence, just a duel and dance we can easily ad-lib. Akemi, would you want to be the lead role?

Akemi: A-Ah?! Huh?! What? M-Me, acting?

Naoto: You don’t need to be good at it! You just need to have fun. The goal is cheering everyone up, right?

Akemi: I-I guess so, but…

Seiko: Funny. I covered your fights, but I never expected “stage fright” to be your greatest weakness.

Akemi: A-Ah, screw you!

Roland: There, there. I would not mind being the antagonist, myself. A frightening, villainous knight of dark means… Yes, I am fitting for that.

Eun-Ji: I could play the best friend… Would that be fine, Akemi?

Akemi: Y-You? I mean, I don’t really know you.

Eun-Ji: That’s right… Most of you guys don’t really remember before all this.

I blinked, and sat up.

Yuriko: You do?

Seiko: Old Eun here explained it before. She doesn’t remember any explicit events, but she remembers more than just names and the fact we all shared a class together. She has a feeling about each of us, and right now the theory is that that’s based on how she was friendly with us before. Course, if she doesn’t like you, it’s probably cause you were a pretty bad classmate, huh?

She smirked. Eun-Ji nodded.

Eun-Ji: For the record… I did have a good feeling about you to begin with, Yuriko.

Her red eyes pierced through the fog of her glasses again as she looked at me, smiling. I looked away, scratching my neck, trying to hide the cold sweat breaking out on me.

Kazuto: Hah, well, let us make sure we resolve our differences and disputes then as we move forward. This play will mark that first step in our community forming, eh?

Roland: Certainly. I look forward to it.

Kazuto: I think we should break again. All who wish to participate in the play should return here!

Yuriko: I-I’ma head off. Bye.

Naoto: Oh… Bye, Yuriko!

Seiko: Don’t get lost now!

 _Whatever. Whatever. Fuck it. Whatever._ I stepped out, seeing Daiki talking with Homura, a nervous Zeku spotting me. They gave a small wave, and I lazily waved back.

_Do I want to pass the time with any of those three?_

**> >No**

I decided to go into the atrium. It was completely empty, until I realized I somehow was completely missing Niwai, who was sitting on his own, almost meditating, in the center.

_Do I want to pass the time with him?_

**> >No**

Moving further, I found myself running into Matsuken.

Matsuken: O-Oh, my apologies! I was simply getting some exercise in, pacing around the symbol. Am I in your way?

_Do I want to bother with this idiot?_

**> >No**

I shrugged, and went straight for my room, going through the open door. _I need a fucking shower, that’s what._ After washing off quickly and putting on a new set of clothes- _Why the hell are all these outfits the same?-_ I took my dirty clothes and went straight for the laundry. Closing the door, I noticed that there was an additional door, leading someplace else. Remembering the [ map ](https://66.media.tumblr.com/54e7cee397a4875a328dc0ecf54a3f57/c78196f967ed0462-8b/s2048x3072/4ae33dd4c7f582ed93aca52b55fff506ae47f970.png), I realized this led to the backstage. Shrugging, I went about sorting my clothes out for the wash.

Agito: Isn’t that a mite bit wasteful?

_Oh, God no._

I turned around, seeing them sitting on a stack of towels and other linens in the corner.

Agito: Peon, We were looking for you. We need to talk.

_Do I really want to talk with them…?_

**> >No**

Agito: Don’t think you can just hide in your room. Ignoring others is rude behavior, peon.

They pouted with a wink, a red eye judging me. Hopping down, their geta clopped over to me.

Yuriko: Wh-What do you want?

Agito: Relax. We can smell your nervous musk already.

I gulped.

Agito: You fraternized with the ones setting up the performance, correct? Have you discovered anything?

Yuriko: L-Like what?

Agito, sighing: Any potential spies, threats, et cetera.

Yuriko: No… Wh-Why would I look for that?

Agito: Fair point. You’re paranoid, but not perceptive, We suppose. Did you at least go to the Nurse’s Room?

Yuriko: N-No… Why?

Agito: Don’t be daft. We know you had the same idea as us.

They revealed the USB stick from earlier.

Agito: Don’t bother going, anyways. Not while we’re being watched.

Yuriko: Y-Yeah… You’re right. Maybe Daiki… Or Homura, even. Either could be the spy. Anyone could…

I paused, and looked down at them.

Yuriko: Why did you trust me?

Agito: Let us follow the logic that you indeed are the spy, and Our judgement was faulty. Your goal as the spy then is to immediately unite the group around a common enemy- yourself- via abrasive and explosive behavior, and then… What? A real infiltrator would go for one of two roles- leadership, or the forgotten one. The firestarter is a terrible spy. They die too quickly.

Yuriko, dumbfounded: I… Good point.

Agito, proud: Thank you. We are genius, after all. Now, we have a simple proposition. Let’s meet up at night, and trek through this room to the nurse’s room. We’ll use both our thumb drives, and try to piece together what we can. We wait until the bedtime announcement from Monokuma, then wait a half hour more. Does that work?

Yuriko, glum: ...Sure.

Agito: Do not look like that. Understand that this partnership reaps nothing but rewards for us both. Safety in numbers, and you have Us here, that counts for more than any of these potential threats, no?

Yuriko: F-Fine, I just… I hate working like this.

Agito: ...Your Talent, is it?

Yuriko: Shut up. Ugh, fine, yeah. Being bossed around by mob bosses with my life in their hands… F-Fuck you. Fuck you for threatening me, I mean it.

Agito, looking down: ...Can We share with you a fairy tale?

Yuriko: Huh?

Their red and silver eye were faded over, unusually depressed.

Agito: There once was a princess. She lived far off in a village, living a happy if hard life. Together with her was family, friends, a town to call home. Then one day, a nightmare struck. Left all alone, no one to care for or be cared for, she met a demon. Despite being a demon, that demon protected that girl until they made it to paradise. That demon and that girl… Do you take my meaning?

Shutting their eyes, they waited for my response.

_I… What? A girl and a demon…_

**> >It’s about me.**

Yuriko, confused: It’s about me, then, isn’t it?

Agito, eyes shut: …

Yuriko: You’re that demon. And you’re saying you’ll take me to paradise?

Agito, sighing, opening eyes: We supposed you would say that.

Yuriko: Are you coming onto me or something…? Why would you threaten me if you feel that way?

Agito, tired: ...Well, if that’s the meaning, then fine. We care on some level for you, peon. We care for all things We rule, but you have earned a special place, certainly. Ah, let’s simply go have dinner, peon. We are famished and exhausted.

Yuriko: Can I at least take care of my laundry first? Don’t you have laundry to do?

Agito, smirking: Taken care of earlier, silly.

I waited on my laundry with Agito, trying to make sense of their story…

…

After putting away my now clean outfit, I went with Agito to dinner. After the busy day, everyone quietly ate together.

Niwai: Yo, no meeting… Let’s just all get a good rest, okay?

Kazuto: And if anyone wants to help out with more preparation of our performance, come down to the stage area tomorrow!

Agito looked at me from across the table. I gave a small nod. When we finished eating, we dispersed as normal, and went to our rooms.

Niwai, outside: Night, everybody! Don’t go out, alright? Let’s keep it cool and safe…

I sat on my bed, waiting.

_...Taking orders from someone honest is better, I guess._

I took off my sunglasses, kneading my face.

_Big bro… Where are you?_

**< < KSHHH >>**

**BING BONG, BING BONG!**

Monokuma, over Speaker: Ahem. It is now strict nighttime, 10 PM for today. The cafeteria will be locked for cleaning. Goodnight! Or not!

**< < CLICK >>**

_...It’s time._

After waiting for some time and watching the clock, I got up, and slowly opened my door with the light off and my sunglasses in hand. Sneaking carefully, I entered the laundry room, whose door was slightly open. Agito stood there, holding their geta in hand to walk quietly with socks.

Agito, whispering: Are you ready?

I nodded.

Agito, whispering: Let us move cautiously, then.

We snuck through the unsettlingly quiet rooms, and crept down the hallway to the nurse’s room. Entering, we both aimed for the computer, pulling out our thumb drives.

Agito: Ready?

Yuriko, nodding: Ready.

I turned on the computer, putting on my sunglasses for protection.

Agito: So… What’s the idea?

Yuriko, shocked: H-Huh? What do you mean?

Agito: Well, we plug this in, but how do they get read?

Yuriko, annoyed: You dummy. The hope is that either of these unlock the computer, or better yet, have a full operating system installed on them that we can utilize instead. 

Agito: We see… This is why We trust you, peon!

Their giggling annoyed me, but I couldn’t help but smile. Something about it helped my nerves.

Yuriko: So, you first?

Agito: No, yourself.

Yuriko: How generous.

Agito: Any good lord is.

I inserted the USB, and turned on the computer. To my surprise, the files in the USB were forceful, and instead of booting up to the login screen, the computer went straight from boot to a video.

Yuriko: What the…

A hallway with six corpses was shown, with the camera moving in past them shakily, as if on someone’s body who was running from something. Quickly the origin of the camera was cut down, and it showed a messy angle of two figures running away towards a staircase, one carrying a nodachi and pulling the other with them. The shot cut. Following this, an interview is shown.

_N-No._

The teenaged boy was darker-skinned than I remember- _Maybe it was a job to somewhere sunny?_ \- but he wore his favorite cap. Just like me, his eyes were pale enough he needed to squint in even the light of that room.

Dark Boy: So, if we join Hope’s Peak Academy, we get full immunity and new identities?

Man Offscreen: Yes. Absolutely, yes. I believe you kids deserve your hope for the future.

Dark Boy, looking down: ...You include my sister without me even asking.

Man Offscreen: ...Of course I do.

Dark Boy, shutting eyes, tearing up: Thank you.

The shot cut. A hand wearing a glove and wielding a pen crossed the name “Hideo Yamazaki” off of a list that included mine and Akemi’s. The screen fades black.

Agito: ...That seems to be it.

I sat for a moment, feeling pressure grow. _Hideo… N-No, that can’t mean… D-Does it?_ Pain began to stab my brain. _F-Fuck… I can’t remember…_ I removed mine, putting it on the desk lazily, and put in Agito’s USB, nursing my headache. The new video replaced the login screen. A dingy, rural looking area was shown. A flash went off in one area.

Agito: Huh?

The camera zoomed in, revealing people madly attacking one another. One had a gun, firing away at others. Blood splattered on the houses, or what was left of them, as people tore at each other with even their bare hands and teeth. As if possessed, vomiting both bile and their insides all over each other, the farmers descended into chaos, with not even children spared. The shot cut.

Agito, shaking: N-No, wait… St-Stop it.

A shrine was displayed. Figures in dark militant uniforms approached it cautiously, with one entering. They came out, holding a small child. The child had a red eye, and a silver eye. The shot cut.

Agito, starting to cry: N-Nonono, no, please, shut it off. D-Don’t shut it off, I…

I was frozen, not sure what to do for Agito. The video continued. A hospital, their small form looking out the window. Walking in was a familiar suit, with light brown spiky hair on top. Smiling at the figure, the Agito in the video asked a question.

Agito, younger: I should be ready to go to Hope’s Peak in a week! Isn’t that exciting?

Familiar Man: It certainly is. And...no matter what. They’ll never find you again. I promise.

The shot cut.

Agito, crying: St-Stop… D-Don’t… Keep playing… I-I… W-We… “W-We…?” W-Why… Why are w-we…? W-We…

A list. The name written down is “Agito Tsuji,” but the gloved hand appears again, scratching off “Tsuji” and replacing it with the single-character name of “Kan.” The screen fades to black. Agito was completely bawling, uncontrollable. They fell to their knees, tears and snot dribbling everywhere.

Yuriko, nervous: H-Hey… Please, calm down… F-F… C’mon, Agito!

Agito, gripping Yuriko: M-Mommy… Mommy…? MOMMY! MOMMYMOMMYMOMMY NONONONONONONONONO DON’T TRUST DADDY! MOMMY! PLEASE! C-COME BACK! MOMMY! WAAAHHH! AHHHAUUUHAHAHUGH…! WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!

They were unconsolable, just releasing nothing but pure, hot, pained emotion as they clung to me, tears covering their face and my shirt. I couldn’t help but start to cry myself, with both them and thoughts of my brother drowning my mind. We stayed there for a moment, crying together, loudly, ignoring everything else but our thoughts, our memories, and our tears. It was as if something overtook us, possessing our minds with nothing but pain, darkness, all-consuming, no light no love no time no end no feeling no thought no hope no hope no hope despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth unyielding despair unending truth

_...Huh?_

Kazuto was standing over us, shaking their head.

Kazuto: I will keep this between only us three, if you and the little one simply go to bed right now.

I noticed Agito was curled against me in my arms, asleep. Exhausted, like me. I could only nod, and managed to carry them to my room. Sighing, I wiped their face of snot, tears, and spittle, then washed my own. I laid next to them on the bed, and tried to ignore the pain splitting my head open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a reliable narrator.


	8. DAY 2 END

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...How'd this get here?

**< WHRRR… >**

???: ...Okay, it’s on.

Jun: More logs! More fun! Right?

Yuriko: Get on with it.

Jun: Ahaha… Sorry. Anyways, what’s been bothering you lately?

Yuriko: My brother, what do you think dumbass?

Jun: Ah. Hideo.

Yuriko: Yes. Always.

Jun: What is it this time?

Yuriko: He keeps bothering me like I’m going to keel over or something. I’m sick of it. I want space. I don’t need him hovering around me.

Jun: So is he overprotective, or outright controlling?

Yuriko: Just suffocating. I can’t stand it. I want space.

Jun: I see… Would you want me to put a word in?

Yuriko: No, I’ll tell him myself. He keeps acting like I need a slave… No, you dumbass. I want a brother! I want to relax with someone, have fun! Not be babied or some shit.

Jun: ...Is there anything you said to your brother that may make this more difficult?

Yuriko: Nah. I just talk how I always do. Make snarky jokes and shit. Whatever. I’m like that! It’s my brand!

Jun: I see. Perhaps he took something personally, and is overcompensating to appease feelings you don’t actually hold?

Yuriko: That’s fucking dumb. He’s always been like this! He always reads too much into what I say, and always gets paranoid and shit about this.

Jun: Oh? And what is “this?”

Yuriko: Well, how we think about each other. He always thinks I hate him. Fucking idiot. I wanna just grab him, give him a dumb hug like when we were really small. I love my brother. Always will. I… I kinda need him, really. I couldn’t imagine life without him.

**< WHRRR… >**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 will be equally empty, methinks.


	9. INTERMISSION - I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pair began their investigation a while ago.

Ah… Is this operational?

Good, good. I think it is.

Hello, my name is [XXXX XXXX] and I’m the scenario writer of the upcoming production. Things certainly have gotten out of control, haven’t they? At least, out of our control. We are but a piece of the puzzle. Anyways, I know it sounds odd, but… We need your investigative help. We keep having to revise and revise and revise, plan and plan and replan… It’s upsetting. It’s unfortunate as well. It’s even unsettling. So, so long as your agents don’t dig too deep, I think we all get out of this winning something, yes?

Please write back as soon as you’re able.

**Today, forty days after the chief received this message, the “scenario writer” was found in her own home, mangled in a way that was barely recognizable. Dental records were required to identify the remains. My partner Kenji Tenjo and myself- Ezequiel Sanchez- represent the Destabilizing Incidents Division, or DID, in investigating this matter. We are investigating based on the request of the ruling Japanese political party, the Self-Determination Party, or SDP for short. From here on, this is a covert operation- we are not allowed to engage with local police forces due to the nature of the crimes we are investigating, and we must maintain upmost secrecy. Due to this, I have decided upon the codename for these correspondences: Goldman.**

Kenji, in English: Do you ever shut the fuck up…?

Ezequiel, in Japanese: Excuse me?

Kenji, in Japanese: I said, in English for you, “Do you ever shut the fuck up?” Do you not speak your own language?

Ezequiel: My own language is Spanish, to be truthful…

Kenji: Fuck. I hate getting assigned to you.

Ezequiel, smirking: I told you to request that transfer months ago, you know.

Kenji, pulling out a cigarette: Yeah yeah… Got a light?

Ezequiel: You’re a couple decades above me. Only light I got for you is a flashlight.

Kenji: Ahhh fuck you.

Ezequiel: You always get cranky like this, Dickens.

Dickens: Don’t start with that nickname again!

Ezequiel, innocently: What, isn’t it a simple rule of Japanese nicknames? You combine one with the other. And so the big Dick rests on all of this Ken.

Dickens, sighing: Guess we’re doing this song and dance.

Ezequiel: …

Dickens: …

Ezequiel: What do you think the status of those missing kids is?

Dickens: Honestly, no good feelings. With how late the boss gave us this job, and just the nature of it overall, I’d rate their odds about as well as a snowflake in July.

Ezequiel: ...Maybe if they’re lucky, it’s Christmas in July, then.

Dickens: I dunno. Like I really give a shit about some high-pedigree bullshit brats.

Ezequiel, stiff: You know… They’re mostly Japanese, aren’t they?

Dickens, matter-of-fact: It’d be unfair of me to play a job as an international lawbringer with nationalism, wouldn’t it? Dumbass.

Ezequiel: That’s true… So you just don’t care if any rich kids die, then?

Dickens: Kids in general. Does anybody?

Ezequiel: …

Dickens: You just shrug off some faraway chumps dying by the hundreds every second, but get all high and mighty when you have faces and names for ‘em. That’s the way of the world, before or after the whole “Event” bullshit.

Ezequiel: ...Hey, Ken.

Dickens: What?

Ezequiel: You really are a dick, you know that?

Dickens: Yeah yeah, I hear that enough from my daughter.

Ezequiel: It’s why you’re a great partner. And a great dad, I bet.

Dickens: ...Ah, fuck you.

Ezequiel: Heh. So, how long until the airport?

Dickens: About an hour and change.

Ezequiel: …

Dickens: …

Ezequiel: Yo, Dickens.

Dickens: What is it now?

Ezequiel: Don’t you think this is all fishy?

Dickens: Huh?

Ezequiel: Hear me out. At least three dozen students have been kidnapped from this place, Hope’s Peak Academy, in secret, and the government tells us to investigate…in secret.

Dickens: …? And?

Ezequiel: I feel like we’re walking into the last days of our lives.

Dickens: Enough with the bullshit, man. Stick to protocol, stick to procedure, you’ll be fine.

Ezequiel: Yeah but…

Dickens: ...Go on. Unless you were just “airing out your emotions” ‘cause you decided to go all soft and shit?

Ezequiel: …

Dickens: …

Ezequiel: ...Hey.

Dickens: What now?

Ezequiel: Why do you care?

Dickens: Huh?

Ezequiel: About this case, I mean. You don’t seem emotionally invested in the victims or place. I’m a bit of a sucker so volunteered cause of that, but…

Dickens: Isn’t it obvious?

Ezequiel: Huh?

Dickens: The Killing Game…

Ezequiel: ...What about it?

Dickens: These bastards over in the SDP wanna restart it, use it to get rid of anyone annoying while doubling as some fucked PR play, right?

Ezequiel: Err… Yeah. Hence the recent “Life and Death Entertainment” laws, right?

Dickens, sighing: So when someone starts killing people associated with its production, who isn’t me…

Ezequiel: Wait, you’d kill them?

Dickens: Eventually we’d be ordered to handle them like all the rest. A cleaning job, right? These idiots are upstarts, and they’re gonna get themselves killed anyways. So I’d wanna do it.

Ezequiel: But… Why?

Dickens: Dumbass… They’re trying to bring back what tried to kill the Great one.

Ezequiel: ...Who? Some survivor of a killing game?

Dickens: Yes, you fucking idiot. A real man, a real hero.

Ezequiel: Who is it, then?

Dickens: …

Ezequiel, curious: C’mon, throw me a bone, here!

Dickens: Dipshit. Pro wrestling needs no explanation.

Ezequiel: ...Wait, do you mean… But didn’t he-?

Dickens: Pro wrestling never dies.

Ezequiel: …

Dickens: …

Ezequiel: Hey, Di-

Dickens: What the fuck now?

Ezequiel: Could you put on some music? I think that’s enough small talk, if we got another hour still.

Dickens: It’d be my fuckin’ pleasure. Finally, we agree on something. But none of that bullshit new age hipster punk or whatever the fuck.

Ezequiel: ...You realize my tastes are older than yours, right?

**...It all began something like that. Another typical investigation with my partner.**

**[** **Ignition - END** **/** **Battery - UPCOMING** **]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://soundcloud.com/fifthdimensionalchess/feel-it-now


	10. DAY 3 - DAY IN AND OUT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a routine to everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry, this chapter is the longest yet (comparative 30 pages in my word processor versus 25 max before). Let me know if they've been too long in the first place or not, I kinda...don't know what's a decent length for this posting format.

_ Mmrghh… _

I felt something warm wrapped around my arm. Slowly opening tired eyes, I looked down to my right.

_ Oh, that’s right. _

It was Agito, looking less “demonic” and more like a miserable baby sleeping off a cold. _I_ _guess I’ll just shower…_ I pried them off my arm carefully, making sure to not wake them, and took off my turtleneck which was stained with something that was…

Yuriko: ...Huh.

_ What did happen last night? And...what was that dream? _

I let the water from the shower massage my strained body as I thought on these questions.

Yuriko: ...So we went to the nurse’s computer. Put in our flash drive… It gave us these fucked up videos and a real bad shock, and now my head’s all fuzzy. I…

A pang of pain went through my chest.

Yuriko: Hehehe… Hehe… S-So Hideo… I-Is he dead…?

I shut my eyes, trying to shut down my own out of control thoughts.

Yuriko: Shut up. Shut up, you stupid fucking idiot. Christ, you fucking dumbass. You were always such a bitch to him. Why would he die on you now if he didn’t leave you then? R-Right?! Fuck… Pl-Please… H-He’s fine… He… He did everything to make s-sure I was safe… H-He…

_ Oh… _

I let the hot water flow all around me, through my hair, down my nose, around my half-open mouth.

Yuriko: A-Auuahh...

_ I did a lot of this last night, too… _

Hot flashes of heat and information I could barely handle went through my brain. Thoughts about my brother, who protected me, even when the world around us made no sense. Thoughts about the others, who crossed paths with us in more than one way. Thoughts about…

_...What the hell… _

The face I saw in my thoughts was dark. It was like a heavy mist obscuring it. The body was familiar, wholly naked, submerged in water. They weren’t drowning, they were being…

_...What the fuck… _

The image was seen through some kind of projection. The file name was an encrypted jumble. The origin of the file… Unknown. The sender of the file...

_ My old computer…? _

My brain continued to parse an overload of information. I felt like something was gripping my throat, choking out my breath as I tried parsing every thought and drop that went down my brainstem.

_...What the fuck was I doing before getting caught in this…? _

The last thought my brain managed to linger on was clear. Clear enough to make it throb with pain, as if I was clubbed by it.

**Subject: old site #13 info**

**// so yuyu**

**// you wanna watch out, you better watch out**

**// this is some serious shit if youre really doing it**

**// the file attached is about the group from that one site that broke free, all the info is available...encrypted of course but no problem for me, i cleaned up as much as i could but it seems like some of it was blacklisted hard**

**// but from then on, its the wild wild west if you keep digging**

**// dont fuck up, or your ass is grass**

**// and your fugly brother wont be able to save you**

**// jkjk**

**// ily be safe, see you on the other side if you can make it out**

**// -sparrowhack**

**PARTICIPANTS AND ASSIGNED PROJECTS:**

  * **Ultimate [xxxx] - [xxxx] Tsuki**


  * Ultimate Boxer - Akio [xxxx]


  * [xxxx] Yokozuna - Toki [xxxx]


  * Ultimate Assassin - Richard Riot


  * Medical Advisor - [//sorry but i gotta hide my identity somehow, right yuyu?]


  * Medical Chief - Doctor Junichirou Tanaka


  * Security Advisor - [xxxx] [xxxx]


  * Chief of Operations - Director [xxxx] [xxxx]



_ Ah… That’s right… _

I saw a drop of blood come from my nose.

_ There are two people who I wanted to follow-up with at Hope’s Peak because of that... _

I dried myself off, and got dressed, still thinking and planning.

_ Akemi was one, because of that Tanaka… And also, Seiko, who may know more than me. And now with what I remember from last night… I need to ask Agito something. _

Getting out of the bathroom, I noticed Agito was barely stirring.  _ Later, I guess. _ Tired of waiting on them, and with an idea in my head, I shook the blanket.

Agito, jumping: G-Gah! W-W-Waugh!

Yuriko: Rise and shine, asshole.

The little thing scrambled to not fall, acting like an earthquake hit. After I stopped, they looked at me with a blank, if confused and nervous, stare.

Yuriko: What? Don’t you prefer me as an alarm over that stupid bear?

Agito: …

Yuriko: Hello? Earth to Agitation. You alive in there?

Agito, looking away: ...I’m dirty.

Yuriko, confused: ...Huh? What, do you wanna take a shower?

Agito: ...I-I can’t.

Yuriko, blankly: What.

Agito: Th-This…

They pointed at the white obi tied around their dark kimono.

Yuriko: ...Are you actually a child? Did you game the system to get past the first grade?

Agito: ...Sorry…

Yuriko: Christ, fuck it, you know what? Do you have clothes in the laundry room? Or do I need your fucking whatever-Book? I’ll get your change of clothes and help your dumbass out.

Agito, looking for e-Book on self: Ah…

_ This fucker reminds me of someone… _

Yuriko: Oh yeah! Maybe if I ask Zeku, they and yourself will add up to a whole brain cell! Would that fucking work? Ugh…

Agito blankly looked at me as they handed the e-Book.

Yuriko: ...It’s less fun when they don’t get annoyed. I thought you were supposed to be scary, didn’t you threaten me?

Agito: ...I did?

Yuriko: …

Agito: I don’t think that was me… Or maybe… It was myself…?

Yuriko, aside: ...I don’t have time for this horseshit.

I took the e-Book and quietly stepped outside. Matsuken and Daiki were chatting in the hall.

Daiki: Oh, Yuriko. How ya’ doin’?

Yuriko: Finefinegettingsomeshitforanidiotbyeidiots.

Matsuken: ...Bitter as ever, like a rough tea.

Yuriko, opening door: Shut. The. Fuck. Up.

I stepped into Agito’s room, which was as sterile as mine. Finding the clothes, I noticed, oddly enough, an array of a second set of clothing. Contrary to the eccentric but traditional tastes of their usual outfit, this one was modern, almost medical, looking like some kind of straitjacket with styled elements of a collared shirt. Black pants complemented it.

_...Again, this reminds me of someone. _

Sighing, I took the usual outfit, grumbling internally at their luck in getting more than one outfit to accessorize with. I stepped back outside.

Daiki: So uh, why are you in Agito’s room?

Yuriko: Shut up, I’m helping out an idiot.

Matsuken, snarky: ...So Kazuto’s guess was correct. Yuriko and Agito really are hitting it off-

I grumbled at the reminder of how last night’s failed expedition concluded.

Yuriko, fumbling with e-Books: Shut up.

Daiki: You need some help?

Yuriko, trying not to drop clothes: Shut up! Asshole.

I unlocked my door, and walked in, shutting it tight.

Yuriko: I’m back, assho-

**< < KSHHH >>**

Monokuma, over speaker: Wake up. Kill someone. Please, I’m bored. Like a plank of wood...

**< < CLICK >>**

I sighed. Agito was sitting up on the bed, looking upset.

Yuriko: What’s your problem?

Agito: ...Bad dream.

Yuriko, sighing: Yeah, we get those here. You can at least wash yourself, right?

Agito: …

Yuriko: Oh.

Agito: Sorry…

Yuriko: My fucking God, FINE. Get in the bathroom.

They looked up at me with red eyes.  _...Hang on a fucking second. Not strained, but...plain red irises…? _

Yuriko: Do you wear contacts, or something? Do I have to go back for those?

Agito: No…

_...The fuck? _

I sighed, bringing their clothes into the bathroom. Helping them, I felt nothing short of painfully embarrassed to have to help someone else clean themselves, and I tried my best to look away until they sat in the bathtub full of water.

Agito: I’m not awake yet…

Yuriko, wincing and brushing hair: Uh-huh.

Agito: There’s something else…

Yuriko: Whatever the hell you say.

Agito: ...I-I mean, I am awake but… Not all of me?

Yuriko: ...Whatever.

Agito, nervously laughing: You… Why are you helping me? Don’t you…

Yuriko: You tried going all macho on me. You freaked me the fuck out, but made me realize I should maybe cool it if I don’t want to die. So I guess I am kind of thankful.

Agito: …

Yuriko: But also. You’re a fucking wimp. A grade-A loser. Worse than me, in fact. You can’t keep up your facade forever, and when it breaks, you’re like a little kid. It’s fucking pitiful.

Agito: ...Sniff.

Yuriko, sighing: But even then, I feel like we were somehow friends before.

Agito: ...R-Really? Ach-!

Yuriko, tugging a knot: Why the fuck would I lie about this shit? My job is dealing in information. Lies would get me killed before, honesty’s a bad habit of mine.

Agito: I-I see… A-Ah-! Stop, that hurts…!

Yuriko: I’m still giving you payback for being a domineering little shit.

Agito: Guh…! Rrgh…!

The water suddenly splashed, and Agito, their white hair wet and covering their eyes, spoke.

Agito, furious: Unhand Us, you accursed ruffian! Why on earth do you think you can get away with this?!

Yuriko: Great, this gimmick is back.

Agito: G-Gimmick?! This is Our true form. Fool. Fiend. Feeble!

An aggressive point in my direction from the one who was halfway cowering back in the bathtub.

Agito, still upset: Get out! We can clean ourselves!

Yuriko: I thought you said you couldn’t?

Agito, flustered: Th-That was…! Argh! Silence! Get out!

I shrugged, tossing the brush into the tub casually as I left the bathroom. Waiting, I heard them grumble, muffled by the walls.

_...Hideo did everything to protect me. And now I’m here. _

I looked at my feet.

_ Was all his effort for fucking nothing? Am I just going to die here just because he was delaying the inevitable? ...Who even put us here? Am I not just going crazy? _

I sighed. Raising my sunglasses and pinching my brows, I couldn’t think of anything else. My stomach grumbled.

Yuriko: I need to eat…

The bathroom door swung open. Standing proudly on their geta and in their black and white outfit was Agito, eyes beaming with-

Yuriko: Hold the fuck on.

Agito: Hm? Oho, are you taken aback by Our marvelous appearance?

Yuriko: How the fuck are your eyes silver and red? They were just both red like, a minute ago. The fuck? Do you have some fucked up condition?

Agito, taken back: Ah… Hm…

Yuriko, sighing: I mean… I’m in no position to talk about “fucked up.” I do need these sunglasses more than you, at least. But that comes with ocular albinism, and shit like that. Uhhh, I think glaucoma’s like that but I dunno I only smoke for fu-I mean, w-wait are you a cop?

Agito, monotone: ...What-ever, peon. Ho-hum, fool. Let’s eat, homie.

Yuriko: This shit again?

Agito, slowly: Come now! Take us to the eatery! Lickety-split, rapscallion!

Yuriko: ...I’m not giving you a piggyback ride.

I opened the door, prepared to leave.

Agito, sighing: Let’s go, then.

Yuriko: Honestly… What the fuck is up with you, anyways? “Ultimate Demonic Vessel?” Don’t you just have some weird cocktail mix of an eye problem and more brain problems than the usual idiot here?

Agito: Hmph. Our existence is no “problems,” peon. You best remember your place.

Yuriko: Oh yeah…? “My place,” OH YEAH?!

Quickly, to their surprise, I scooped them up, barely straining.

Yuriko: Wow, you’re fucking light! You got some kind of bone problem, too? I thought being all sick and gross was my thing!

Agito, shaking: P-Put Us down, put Us down you thrice-damned fool!

Yuriko: Nope. I’m dragging your dumbass into the cafeteria, just like I had to put your dumbass to sleep. How’s that for “peon,” jackass?

Agito: Rrrrgh…!

Yuriko: C’mon, let’s go, shitbird-!

???: BANZAI!

Yuriko: RAFGH?!

Shocked, I could only grunt as a blur of movement slammed me in the gut.

???: TENCHU!

A kick managed to knock me to the ground, and I let go of Agito completely.

Agito: W-Weh?!

???: I have you!

When my eyes focused, I looked up.

Yuriko, groaning: Oh… You motherfucker…!

Matsuken, beaming: Sorry for that.

Agito, squirming, smacking Matsuken: Y-You unhand Us, ruffian! How dare you attack our finest ally?! P-Put Us down!

Matsuken: A-Ah! I was going to, do not worry! I apologize! I just…

Matsuken put Agito down next to me. Agito got one last kick of their own in, square on Matsuken’s groin, making him stiffen up and buckle.  _ Fuck yeah… _

Matsuken, straining: I-I…deserved that…

Yuriko: You did, asshole. The fuck do you want?

Matsuken: T-To get you for breakfast… A-And unite bickering friends…! A-Against a c-common foe, y-you’re together again!

Agito: ...You are the most idiotic of the peons here.

Matsuken: C-Come now, ladies, please… Or is it lady and gentleman…?

Agito: All three. Let us just eat, dammit.

Yuriko: Getting feisty, huh? Whatever. I’m hungry as shit… And sore.

I rubbed where Matsuken struck.  _ Huh. He didn’t hurt me that much, actually… Just winded. _ I shrugged, somewhat thankful to him, but not really because he still hit me anyways, and followed the two as they walked out of the sleeping quarters.

Niwai, loudly: Okay, everyone’s here! Let’s get ourselves ready for today, yeah? The play is gonna be happenin’ tomorrow, who’s excited?

_ As noisy as ever… _ I grabbed food with Agito and sat down a bit distant from everyone else, Agito being the only one at the table with me.

Kazuto: Any who wish to help me in setting it up, come along!

Eun-Ji: Wait… That soon? Didn’t we only just decide on… “A Night of Knights?”

Kazuto: Well, of course, but I doubt many of us are that good at acting, save for our Ultimate Actor himself- is that wrong, Naoto?

Naoto, cluelessly smiling: Huh? Oh, um, yeah. It’s right. I think…? Yeah, I am the only actor here… But that’s okay!

_ Ugh… Insult us earnestly, won’t you? _

Kazuto: It gets more fun if we do a silly action story without taking it seriously! We can act how we please. A little controlled chaos to let out our anxieties, yes?

Niwai, smirking: ...I’m not a fan of rushin’, but guess we’re gonna have…

He began to frown, thinking.

Niwai: ...Hang on.

Matsuken: ...Please do not.

Daiki, feigning: Really, we get it. Please, spare us…

Niwai, sighing with a smirk: ...So be it. Let’s get it on, Red. We’ll be rushin’.

Everyone else: Augh…

Niwai: I’m sorry, gang.

Eun-Ji, grimacing: Why did you have to go with all three...?

Zeku, tired: That sounded wrong…

Daiki: Anyways, we’ll be at the same spots as before, everyone. Take it easy today, too.

_ Fucking gross… Anyways… I need to kill time. I need to talk to Agito too, but not when everyone’s around… Maybe tonight, then. We can talk about last night when they’re not so goddamn hyper... _

**{ FREE TIME START! }**

Taking care of my food, I went to leave to the atrium, when suddenly I was tugged on the sleeve by someone.

Yuriko, annoyed: Who the fuck?

I turned around, seeing the tiny bird pouting at me.

Agito, pouting: Ho-hum, you can’t escape this time!

_ Do I really want to deal with this now…? _

**> >No**

I picked up Agito, ignoring their complaints, and offloaded them immediately onto Akemi, who was in the middle of eating still. Putting a protesting Agito down on the table in an obnoxious position, their kimono flipping to reveal their much more plain and modern undershirt and shorts.

Agito, flustered: H-HEY! Y-You…!

Adjusting themselves on the table, they nearly fell off, landing face-first into Akemi’s lap, who was completely blindsided by the exchange.

Agito: Mmph…

Yuriko: Be a good little gremlin and let me chill for a bit, okay?

Akemi, tired: ...C-Can you get up, Agito? I…still have some omurice left…

_ Huh. Usually she’s more angry at me… Would talking with her be worth it? _

**> >Fuck It, I’m Game**

Yuriko: Yo, big guy.

Akemi, annoyed: Huh? Can’t you see I’m eating? I don’t wanna deal with your shit.

Yuriko: Chill the fuck out, I just wanna...I dunno. Not feel like I’m gonna be strangled in my sleep?

Akemi: Dumbass… I don’t fight dirty.

Yuriko: Oh, cool. I’ll just get my shit kicked in when I can see it.

Akemi: I guess so.

Yuriko: …

Akemi: …

Yuriko: …

Akemi: ...But seriously.

Yuriko: Yeah, Agito. Can you get the fuck down?

Agito, beaming, cross-legged on table: You two peons are interesting to watch.

_ Those annoying fucking eyes… _ I rolled my eyes, and sat next to Akemi, sighing.

Akemi: ...What do you want, really. I’m not looking for a fight…

Yuriko: I’m not either…? Calm down, asshole.

Akemi, sighing: ...You talk like that, then wonder why people don’t fuckin’ like being around you.

Agito: Indeed, peon. You oughta hold more respect for others.

Yuriko: Excuuuse me for not wanting to pretend to be buddy-buddy with people I don’t even remember.

Akemi: ...So you’re like that too, huh?

Yuriko, confused: What do you mean, “too?”

Akemi: Not remembering a goddamn thing. People keep mentioning recognizing, I dunno, feelings, faces, or at least names, but me? I see you guys and feel like I’m stepping into the ring for the first time. I don’t know who anyone is.

I stayed quiet.

Akemi: It’s whatever, I mean… It’s not like you give a shit in particular. I’m just saying stuff to the void, I guess.

Agito: And Ourselves.

Akemi, sighing: Yeah… Right.

Thinking for a moment, I went and grabbed more breakfast for myself, sitting back down next to Akemi.

Agito, subtly: ...We think We’ll take a stroll. Don’t miss Us too much.

I gave a wave, and went to eating, next to Akemi…

…

Akemi: ...Why did you hang around?

Yuriko, smirking: I dunno. Maybe I’m just fucking with you.

Akemi: Just say it. Did you want to talk about something or some shit? Or just piss me off? Cause that smug grin really makes me pissed off.

Yuriko: ...It’s all jumbled up.

Akemi: What?

Yuriko: My own memories. Like…

Akemi, annoyed: ...Like?

Yuriko: ...Akemi, you weren’t born or raised all that “normal,” were y-?

Akemi, coldly: Get to the point, or I swear to God, your head is going even deeper into your ass.

Yuriko, annoyed: Jeez, relax. I mean we’re all Ultimates here, right? Except instead of being a loud pervert or obsessed weirdo, you’re just...beefy. And have shit fashion taste.

Akemi: ...Sure. What’s your point?

Yuriko: Do you remember anything of your memories? Especially as a kid? Or like… Do you remember your dad?

Akemi, cautious: ...Why are you asking?

Yuriko: ...I’ll answer if you answer.

Akemi: ...I remember not dealing with your bullshit. I mean, I’m pretty sure we all had parents in some way, too...

_ Of fucking course. _

Yuriko: How about this. I apologized to Sankero. Happy? We made up and everything-

Akemi, rolling eyes: Cool, great. You “made up” to use it as an argument winner.

Yuriko, angry: This isn’t a fucking argument! You-! Rgh…

I sighed, rubbing my temples.

Yuriko: Listen. I remembered needing to check something with you. It involved maybe your dad. Even the slightest hint will help. Any single thing can help me remember shit, help us all piece together shit, and-

Akemi, suspicious: Then why ask me alone? Why not ask in the group meeting and everyone put together their memories, huh?

Yuriko: ...I mean, I don’t trust any of those other idiots. They certainly don’t seem like they want to even risk talking about our lost memories… Like they’re all scared and shit.

Akemi, shaking head: But you trust me.

Yuriko: Uh-doy. I trust you to be a certain type of idiot. You’re dependable.

Akemi, sighing: Okay. Sure. I’m a trustworthy idiot. Real confidence booster. Why don’t you go on back to Agito, at least they can stand your bullshit.

_...There has to be something. Anything to provoke that information. _

Yuriko, brightly: ...Akemi, have you used that USB in the nurse’s computer?

Akemi: Huh? No, why?

Yuriko: Well, you’ll learn some shit. Some freaky shit… I mean I got a headache from it, but y’know. May be worth checking. Do it, and get back to me. ‘Kay?

Akemi stayed quiet, grimacing at my switch to a chipper tone. She shook her head at me and went back to eating.

_ Well, whatever. Maybe that was a bad idea… But whatever. It’s not like that feeling I have about our time at Hope’s Peak matters, I guess…  _ I sighed, threw out my tray, and stepped into the atrium.  _ All that shit everyone else was saying about getting these feelings… Was it like this? Or was Eun-Ji just fucking with me… And why the hell would I trust Eun-Ji on a hunch? That’s not like me… _

Yuriko: ...You complete moron... Whatever. I should plan this out… Why the hell did I just do that on a whim?

I looked around, making sure no one was around, save for Niwai who was watching the Atrium from a bench on the far side. I took a seat myself, and took off my sunglasses, closing my eyes as I thought.

_ Do I really wanna just spend time sitting here…? _

**> >Yes**

I decided to begin by just pooling together everything that was swimming through my head, from the whole time I’ve been here. Taking a moment to just breathe deep, and think clearly…

…

**STUPID BULL! WITH YURIKO, BY YURIKO!**   


  * **It is impossible to confirm or deny whether our lost memories- and the memories we are remembering- are directly tied to who put us here or not with the current information we have.**


  * It is also impossible to rule out the possibility that these memories are related. They simply are present, to varying amounts, in each of us. Relevance is difficult to find without consulting the others.


  * There is a spy, or a mole, of some kind among us. Perhaps it could even be myself, manipulated mentally as a sleeper. Maybe there’s a distinction between such a fantastic concept and what Monokuma admitted to. At this point, we cannot say who it is, even if I hold reservations about certain people.


  * Whatever this spy or mole is doing is unknown.


  * We are trapped here for the foreseeable future, in this strange, underground facility or complex of uncomfortably sterile design.


  * These many problems are effectively being given the, “Pretend everything’s fine” treatment by our self-appointed idiot leaders. They’re more than useless, they actively are making things harder by avoiding delving into these topics at group meetings and treating myself as a problem child for being openly stressed.


  * Despite that, I must admit I went overboard. A bad habit. I have bad habits, sue me. What, a girl isn’t allowed to be a bitch sometimes?


  * “Bitch” as in being aggressive, or hormonal, or loud, generally unpleasant, not in the canine sense or the weird pervert sense that I’d probably find on Jiro or maybe Niwai’s browsing history and internet cookies… Then again, maybe I’ve been too deep in the web myself.


  * I need mental health treatment for my horrific internet addiction more than any of the traumas I’ve actually experienced and will experience. Holy shit, I know about so many fetish terms despite being a teenaged asexual wreck.



_ What was I thinking about again? _

Yuriko, blankly: Oh yeah.

  * **With our current circumstances largely defined, save for the status of the different idiots I’m trapped with, the past must be discussed. Firstly, we all supposedly went to Hope’s Peak together. This aligns with those memories of familiarity I hold with everyone since viewing that video on my USB.**


  * The familiar feelings I’m getting are most likely what Eun-Ji had from the beginning. Did we perhaps have different memories to begin with… Was Eun-Ji lucky, unlucky, or is she the spy…? No conclusions.


  * I feel like my memories are coming mostly from either my time at Hope’s Peak, or the Most Awful Event in Human History… But maybe… Maybe there’s a point in the middle that’s harder to see? I can’t tell. But that’s a possibility. Most likely, that’s the point of origin of our memories, and this Killing Game started after we went to Hope’s Peak…


  * My brother is responsible for the political assassinations that drove us into hiding at Hope’s Peak Academy. No one else seems to know who did it…


  * I have no idea what Agito’s deal is. However, it most likely has to do with their memories of that horrific massacre… It looked like a zombie apocalypse. And the way they were crying last night… Crying for mom and…


  * Despite how hard they tried, Agito doesn’t scare me. If anything… I think I can say I trust them with everything. They’re too stupid to be as terrifying as they were that one time. Even if I can’t understand their eyes or why they flip-flop on a dime, I…



_...Why do I care so much about this asshole? _

  * **My familiar feelings with everyone… They’re warm. They’re warm, but I’m scared. And Agito, Eun-Ji, even that freak Kazuto of all people… And of course, it would be Seiko with the warmest. I don’t get it… Did I…?**



I sighed.

Seiko: That hard, huh?

Yuriko, off-guard, flushed: H-Huh?! G-Gurgh, don’t sneak up on me!

Seiko, giggling: You’re real funny. You’re so damn serious all the time…

Yuriko, frustrated, putting on sunglasses: Sh-Shut up. What do you want?

Seiko: A bit of time to chat. Is that so bad?

Yuriko: ...What?

Seiko: You keep poking and probing around… You’re playing a dangerous game, y’know. Don’t you think you’re stirring a hornets nest?

Yuriko, sighing: Like what, huh?

Seiko: Making yourself look pretty guilty.

_...Huh? _

Seiko: Think about it like this. Recommending people do what is supposed to be a motive for murder… That may just get eyes on you.

Yuriko: I…

_ Fuck… How the hell didn’t I realize that…? _

Seiko: Maybe I was wrong when I thought we were kinda similar. You seem to be pretty bad at investigating when face-to-face with people. Or maybe you just offloaded this work onto other people as an information broker?

Yuriko, nervous: Sh-Shut up. I…

I bit my lip.

Yuriko, sighing: Shit. Goddammit, I was firing from the hip the entire time. Even when I thought I was onto something.

Seiko: Relax. There’s something that exonerates you. Last night, after you used the computer, someone broke the USB port.

Yuriko: ...What?

Seiko: I noticed it early this morning. I woke up, decided I may as well check it out… But…

Yuriko: You’re lying.

Seiko: ...Guess that’s something we should figure out later, hm?

Yuriko, cautious: ...Why are you telling me this?

Seiko, smirking: ...Call it a “familiar feeling.”

_ This fucking chick… _

Yuriko: ...I’m having lunch. Fuck this.

Seiko: Sounds good. We can chat in there. Just girl talk, yeah?

She beamed. I looked away, annoyed. Following me into the cafeteria, we sat down at a table together and ate. Slowly, everyone else trickled in at the turn of the lunch hour. Agito sat next to me, an eye on Seiko suspiciously, while Roland sat next to Seiko.

Seiko, smirking: Well, this is definitely an odd group to be sharing sushi with.

Roland: Truth be told, I just wanted to sit with someone who talked with me…

Seiko: D’awww, thank you!

Agito, sighing: We simply enjoy this table, thank you very much.

_ Kill me. Please. _

Niwai: Yo! Everyone! Fun announcement!

Matsuken: Listen up, listen well!

Kazuto, clearing throat: Ahem.

With a single clap, Kazuto stood on an empty table in the middle of the group.

Kazuto: We have decided against performance tomorrow. Rather, that is to be determined, but we will begin rehearsing today! Any who wish to help out in set production or even getting a part themselves could come on down! Let us take it nice and easy, working together for an enjoyable performance of, “A Night of Knights.” Whoever is with me, follow me to the stage when you’re done eating!

They got down, and began to walk out. I noticed Sankero and Akemi follow, having finished their food. In addition, Homura, Zeku, and Eun-Ji tagged along as well. That just left the rest of us freaks and the other self-appointed leaders to finish eating.

Roland, awkwardly: ...So, how is everyone?

Yuriko: Freaked the fuck out by that weirdass horse skull mask, your big sword, and the other, less huge, but still fucking intimidating sword.

Roland: I see…

Agito, genuine: May We have the nodachi?

Roland: No…

Seiko, curious: Are those even real? Do you really have a couple weapons on you?

Roland: The leaders said they did not want to infringe on my own personal style. I apologize… I hold these dear.

Seiko, opportunistic: ...Lemme interview you about that later, m'kay?

Roland: I would really rather not, but… Ah, it is what it is.

They seemed tired, even if I could barely tell what expression was on their face.

Yuriko: ...So, Roland. What’s your like...deal? “Ultimate Knight…?”

Roland: ...It is too much to talk about.

Seiko: Is it, though? I think it’d be fun to vent a little.

Roland: Well…

Agito, curious: Don’t delay! We would love to hear it.

Roland: ...What would you like to know, then? Ask away.

We chatted about a whole lotta nothing for a while…

…

Roland: ...Well, in Novoselic, it is… I suppose not much different from European countries around it. We eat our salmon and trout like anyone. Our capital grain is wheat. Farms and windmills decorate our hills. I did not expect an agriculture quiz on my homeland out of this, though…

Seiko: Ehehe, you're an interesting guy from an interesting place. Why'd you come to Japan? Just Hope's Peak?

Roland, hesitant: That… That is a complicated matter.

Yuriko: You were telling us all your favorite foods and shit just a moment ago, though. Ain’t this just more small talk?

Roland: Not for me…

Seiko, curious: So your motivations go beyond the education Hope’s Peak gives you? For getting groomed as the “Ultimate Knight,” that is.

Roland: ...Why don’t I speak of other matters? I could continue to speak of Novoselic. Anything you wish-

Agito, smug: We hear there is a queen. What is she like? Foolhardy enough to believe herself a ruler above Us, no doubt!

Roland, quietly: ...Err, I suppose I am in no place to speak of Her Majesty.

Seiko, eyes lighting up: Why not?

_...Wait, wasn’t the queen of Novoselic formerly a student at Hope’s Peak? _

Roland: ...If we’re going to keep talking, can I at least do my laundry? I meant to take care of it after lunch in the first place.

Agito: Fine, but you carry Us!

Roland: But what of my clothes?

Agito: Oh, dear Yuriko~?

Yuriko: Fuck off. I’m not some maid.

Agito: Oh, dear Sei-

Seiko: Agito, you have perfectly fine legs, even if your footwear is uncomfortable. C’mon, doll.

Agito, shocked: “D-Doll?!” We are a demon!

Seiko, getting up: Oh, dear me. I’m so scared! Nyehehe.

Agito pouted at her, but said nothing, standing on their own. I followed the group, sighing.  _ Ugh… I need to make sure I talk to Agito and Seiko later. I planned on it, but then Roland showed up… Goddammit. _

Seiko: Yo. You’re spacing out. Got a little rain cloud over your head.

Yuriko: Hm?

Seiko: What’s up, babe?

Yuriko, shocked: U-Uh… H-Huh?

Agito was helping Roland carry his dirty clothes, the odd and awkward mess between armor, cloth, and leather. I glanced their way, trying to ignore Seiko taking off her postboy cap with a mischievous look.

Seiko: ...Listen. Those two are busy. Ignore ‘em.

She leaned in close, and I felt myself starting to shake a bit. Her voice was breathy, tickling my neck in a way that completely electrified my already confused brain, neurons firing off with confusion. She hid her lips over mine with her hat from others’ eyes, Roland and Agito too distracted to notice us.

Seiko, whispering: I need to talk to you about the computer. I know who broke it, and we need to talk about what I saw.

She left a quick peck on my cheek.

_ H-HUAH!? _

I stood there, completely flushed. Seiko winked at me, looking completely sly and mischievous, almost adorable.  _ St-Stop. Don’t think like that!  _ Heat filled my face.

Seiko, whispering: Leave your door unlocked tonight, okay babe?

_ SH-SHUT UUUUUUUUUP!!! _

My brain completely fried, my entire being just felt pure heat, and I struggled to follow the group as all the information overloaded me. Seiko sighed, and took me by the arm.

Seiko: It’s...one of those memory, familiar-feeling things you’re feeling I bet.

I noticed her face had a bit of a blush of its own.

Seiko: Heheh… I’ve got notes in my room too, so there’s a lot to talk about. We’ll review ‘em I...think I’m having the same brain fart as you.

Agito had finally turned their head and saw us, with their face getting a flushed look of its own.

_ H-HUH?! _

Agito, stammering: H-H-HUAH?!

Roland: Please, please just help me open the door… Th-This armor is heavy…

Agito, flustered: Yuriko! P-Peon! Why are you-?! What are you-?! Hrrgh!

Yuriko, terrified: WH-WHAT’S GOING ON?! WHY ARE YOU JEALOUS?!

Seiko: Nyehehe~!

Roland groaned, managing to open the door and putting the armor down in a heap in front of the washing machines. Agito threw the clothes next to it, then hopped in front of us, face red. I could barely process what was going on. In the next room, people were shuffling about, handling the things necessary for the play.

Agito, livid: YOU! Y-YOU…! YOU HARLOT! HUSSY! PERVERT! COWARD, CRETIN, CAD, AND THIEF! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU TRY TO PLAY WITH THE HEART OF OUR OWN-

Seiko: Ohoho my! Someone’s jealous, it looks like! How adowabuh, da’ scawy demon has fee-fees for a siwwy wittle human?

Agito, about to cry: Y-You…!

Yuriko: Wh-What’s going on. Please. Either of you. Shut the fuck up and explain it to me…

Roland, tired: I… I need a moment… Could anyone fetch me some water? O-Oh, I found some…

I took a deep breath in, detached from Seiko’s grip, pushed Agito away from my personal space, opened the door to the stage, and bolted for my life. I ignored the confusion and laughs from the idiots in this room. I even ignored the fact I nearly trampled Zeku’s bare feet-  _ dumbassdontbeinmywaydontgowithoutshoesdumbassdumbassfuckfuckFUCK-  _ and made my way immediately to the nurse’s room, slamming the door. Calmly, I looked in the medicine cabinets. Not for a single poison. Not for any curative, not for any sample of a virus or parasite.

Yuriko, shaking: Where’s the fucking weed? The fucking Prozac? I’ll even take goddamn lithium, I’ll chew on a whole fucking nugget of that shit if I need to oh my GOD what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck.

_ O-Oh my God. _

I stopped, taking a couple steps back, sitting on the office chair for the computer.

_ Jesus fucking Christ. _

I looked up at the ceiling, and squeezed myself, rocking slowly as I settled.

_ Hideo would’ve shut me up faster than running away did. _

Yuriko, tearing up: ...I’m so fucking pathetic without my brother.

Homura: ...I-I uh, feel like I shouldn’t be here, but-

_ OH MY GOD?! _

Yuriko, terrified: J-JESUS FUCK! GUOHAH!

Homura, shocked: Yeep! I’m sorry!

Yuriko: Sh-Shut up! Fuck… I… Ugh… I’m sorry…

I felt miserable.  _ At least those two aren’t here. _ Homura smiled at me, sitting in the other office chair.

Homura: Do you wanna talk about it?

Yuriko: N-No! I mean… No.

Homura: ...From what you said, it sounds like you were having an anxiety attack.

Yuriko: N-N… Yeah…

Homura, nervous: Those medications are useful, but… Please, don’t take these medications without supervision, alright? I don’t want anyone...having bad things happen, you know?

_ Shit… _

Yuriko, remorseful: Yeah…

Homura: ...Do you wanna at least talk about anything?

Something wet fell on my hand.  _ Oh… I was crying too, huh? _

Yuriko, monotone: ...Fuck it. I guess.

Homura smiled, and moved to the small fridge meant for samples. Instead, she revealed some drinks. Tacky, branded with Monokuma, with idiotic flavor names-  _ Hopeless Huckleberry?- _ she handed me one.

Homura: Sugar will help your mood a little. Don’t drink too fast, okay?

I nodded, taking slight sips-  _ Eh, it’s alright…-  _ and collected myself.

Yuriko: I had- have. I have a brother. He’s… He’s always been everything for me. My filter, my caretaker, my fucking keeper pretty much. You know how those two, Jiro and Koji are? Well instead of me relying on my brother Hideo cause I’m literally disabled, I’m just a pathetic-

Homura: No judgements.

Yuriko: Huh?

Homura, softly smiling: Don’t get in the habit of always treating yourself so poorly. Just say what’s happening, or how it makes you feel… You’re not pathetic for your own needs.

_ That stupid face… Why are you giving me that look? _ I sighed.

Yuriko: ...I’m not disabled like Koji. My brother just takes care of me because…

I stopped, trying to avoid being chastised.

Yuriko: W-Well, it’s cause…

_ I’m garbage who can barely be outside of her own room. _

Yuriko, spacing out: I-I uh. Ahem, I…

_ I’m closer to a slug or dead turtle than a person. _

Yuriko, tearing up: I-I…

Homura, stern: Yuriko.

She put her hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of it.

Homura: Your brother took care of you because he cared. You have needs on a social level, and shouldn’t try comparing yourself to the more physical needs that someone like Koji would need to deal with. You and them are very different people- just like how Jiro and your brother are different people in their own right.

She smiled at me again, and I felt myself involuntarily seize up.  _ St-Stop… I don’t want that… _

Yuriko, voice cracking: Why are you doing that?

Homura: You need someone to help out and listen, right? Not talk over you or ignore you, yeah?

Yuriko, crying: ...Y-Yeah.

Homura: I’m a doctor. Helping everyone is my goal.

I tried to retain composure, but let myself cry silently for a moment.

Homura: Don’t forget to drink a bit, stay hydrated.

I nodded, sipping as I cried. For once, my breath stayed even despite me crying. I wasn’t sobbing, but instead simply letting out all the tension and exhaustion that was clogging my brain.   
Yuriko: Thank you…

Homura: I’m always here for you guys, alright?

Yuriko: My brother Hideo was always there for me… B-But I’m scared he’s dead… I wish he was here, I wouldn’t be so scared, or on edge, or anything bad… All that stupid shit on the first day…

Homura nodded.

Homura: You miss him a lot, then.

Yuriko: Every fucking second.

Homura, nodding: So, what can you do while you don’t know where he is?

I paused. Heat boiled in my cheeks.

Yuriko, sniffling: ...N-Nothing?

Homura, stammering: Nonono, n-no! You can do something! I’ll tell you, don’t worry.

Yuriko: Wh-What?

Homura: You can learn from him, and take care of yourself the way he did.

Yuriko: ...B-But it’s not like I deserve that.

Homura: But he thought you did. Was he wrong?

Yuriko: ...Maybe.

Homura, hesitant: ...Would you tell him that caring for you was wrong?

Yuriko: …

Homura: If you wouldn’t… Maybe that’s because deep down, you know you deserve it, or at least, you trust him more than you. Maybe it’s okay to listen to what others think of you if all you can think of yourself is… Well, that you don’t deserve anything anyone does.

Yuriko: Wh-What about awful people who do nothing but snap at others?

Homura: ...Then they deserve to make up for what they did, and be supported in doing that.

I stayed quiet. For a long while, we both stayed quiet.

Yuriko: ...A fucking therapy session from a neurosurgeon. My brain getting picked over like this. I…

Homura shut her eyes, seemingly accepting of whatever was coming next.

Yuriko: ...Thanks. I’m… I’m upset. I’m sick of being caught off-guard in all this shit… While some already awful shit is going on. I… I didn’t have anyone to just listen to me like this. Agito is an overwhelming little shit, and Seiko just th-threw this weird shit on me… Ugh.

I sighed. Homura still smiled at me.

Homura: Let me know when you want to talk anytime. I’ll try my best to be here for you. I’m not your brother, but… I can do my own work as best I can.

She smiled brightly.

Homura: It’s what a doctor is supposed to do.

_...She’s still too nice to me. _ I sighed. Waving to her as I left I opened the door.

Agito, furious: YOU DAMNED HARLOT, PUT ME DOWN!

_ Aw, fucking shit. _

Seiko: Yo, babe. Wanna ditch this loser for some girl talk?

Her wink made my stomach flip for multiple reasons.  _ Is it even genuine…?  _ I breathed deep, trying to avoid blushing again.

Yuriko: What do you want, really?

Seiko, laughing, winking: Some alone time!

_ Should I really go along with this…? It feels like a weird performance… _

**> >Yes**

Yuriko, sighing: Fuck it, I’ll entertain you. What do you want?

Seiko: Your time in this nightmare of a shelter! Some time…

She winks again, but with a completely serious face. Agito’s struggling was still audible.

Seiko: In my room, perhaps?

Turning around, she put on her mask of confidence again. I followed her, Agito’s face red and teary as she was hoisted up. Daiki, at the corner, couldn’t hold back a chuckle. That made Agito pout more.

Agito: To think you would betray me for this harlot!

Yuriko, confused: So our thing… It wasn’t like, a weird, “I have no friends and you’re the only option,” kind of thing, but it was something kinda…deeper?

Agito, flushed: S-SILENCE! YOU-! RGH!? AUGH! ACCURSED PAIR!

Yuriko, sighing: I’m not with her, don’t worry, baby.

Agito, furious: WE’RE NOT CHILDREN!

From the stage, someone laughed. Eventually we made it to Seiko’s room, where she put down a completely red in the face Agito, who pouted and looked away as Seiko led me in.

Seiko, locking door: So…

Yuriko: So…

Seiko, serious: …

Yuriko: ...Do you actually have a thing for me, or am I-?

Seiko: God, no. I’m sorry, you’re totally like… That little one? They’re heads over heels, I bet. But I prefer my women…

Seiko gave a smirk.

Seiko, flushed: That Akemi makes me WISH I remembered if I put the moves on her at Hope’s Peak! She makes me dream things I feel wrong for even daring to imagine! Like… Fuck, imagine a first kiss at a flower viewing festival… IMAGINE THE SAKURA BLOOMING AROUND US AS HER B-BIG HAND SQUEEZES MINE, AND… Ehehehehe!

_...She’s hopeless. _

Seiko, nervous: Fuck… Do you think she’s even into girls?! Please say yes!

_ Oh yeah, this whole situation is hopeless. _

Yuriko, tired: What did you want?

Seiko: Ah, well. Simple.

Suddenly in full business mode, she removed her postboy cap, and sat on her bed.

Seiko: ...The person who broke the computer was me.

_...Huh? _

Yuriko, stunned: Why… Why would you do that…? Those gave us our memories back!

Seiko: I’ve covered political and military news. Especially in the nightmare of a time that was a Post-Despair world.

She sighed, looking tired.

Seiko: ...To stop the Despairs, a certain tool was used.

Yuriko: What are you talking about…? Didn’t it just end when Junko and its remnants were wiped out in that Future Foundation Killing Game?

Seiko: No. Far from it. The truth is…

A faraway look glazed over her eyes.

Seiko: The truth is that a certain Ultimate Programmer- or maybe it was Game Developer?- of the original Hope’s Peak designed a mind-control program. It would brainwash the viewer. He was manipulated into making the tool which spread Despair to everyone, and then took it upon himself to spread Hope… At least, that’s what my investigations suggest. A mind control program that was supposedly destroyed completely, on every hard drive or cloud space it was put on.

Yuriko, unnerved: ...Okay, and?

Seiko: You know where it wasn’t destroyed?

Yuriko: …

Seiko: The human brain. The world’s greatest “soft” drive.

_...What? _

Seiko: Experimental technology in neuroscience allows for the conversion of information of the human brain into an outside source. The Kamakura project responsible for this whole mess used this in reverse, technically speaking. So my theory is that this Ultimate was in some way forced to give the information regarding this-

Yuriko, terrified: Wh-Why?

Seiko: Huh?

Yuriko: Why does this matter? What the fuck… What the fuck is happening?

Seiko: ...I noticed hypnotic suggestion and other similar kinds of manipulative “subliminal” tools in the video. It was both meant to inspire me to remember things, but also plant in me a drive to escape. A gnawing feeling of anxiety… A deep desire to run… You feel it too, don’t you, Yuriko? So that’s why I destroyed it. If the wrong person got these suggestions...

_ What the fuck… Why’s it cold? _ I felt myself shaking, my knees buckling.  _ Wh-What the fuck…? _

Seiko: ...After looking at your own video, don’t you want to escape more than before?

Yuriko: I… Y-Yeah…

_ Fuck… It was a trap…? Of course it was… Why did I…? _

Seiko: ...What did you see?

Yuriko: ...It was fucked up. It made me remember my brother even more.

Seiko: ...I saw you in mine.

_...Huh? _

Seiko: I was investigating why you and your brother were being held effectively in asylum by Hope’s Peak Academy. That much I remember. I also remember being very afraid. ...I think whoever was after you and me is the same, and responsible for this.

Yuriko: ...Isn’t that bear hearing us?

Seiko: Definitely…

We both looked down, bleak expressions on our faces.

Seiko: ...We should eat some dinner.

Yuriko: N-No, I feel… I’m fine. I’ve had enough to chew on for today…

_ And I still need to talk to Agito… _

Seiko: ...I’m sorry. I…

She sighed.

Seiko: ...Let’s try to figure some way out to coordinate what we all remember with everyone. And we need to be especially careful with the fact there’s a spy… How do we handle that?

Yuriko: Don’t ask me…

Seiko, voice low: ...I’m sorry, Yuriko. I really am-

Yuriko: No… I wanted to do this myself. Thanks for...trusting me.

I opened the door, seeing Agito’s pouting form holding a tray of food with two bowls of pasta.

Yuriko: ...Huh?

Seiko: ...What are you doing? Is that for me?

Agito: Tell the harlot We are not speaking to her. We’re speaking to you, Yuriko. We’re eating in your room tonight!

Yuriko, shrugging: ...Whatever.

Seiko went to the cafeteria. I unlocked my room, and went inside, sitting on my bed and beginning to undress for bed.

Agito: Hmph!

Yuriko: ...What?

Agito, annoyed: You don’t seem that pleased. Was the harlot less than enjoyable company? Would you prefer Us?

Yuriko: I mean, I wanna talk to you right now, yeah.

Agito, pouting: ...We are quite mad at you.

Yuriko: ...Are you just gonna let the food get cold?

They sighed, and sat next to me. Despite all the talk, we still ate together like it was another usual day.  _ A usual day here, huh… _

Agito: ...We are not very intimidating.

Yuriko: No duh.

Agito: We want to talk to you about what you had to witness, Our… The weak moment of this body.

Yuriko: …

Agito: ...Is it alright?

Yuriko: You’re usually pretty pushy… Why don’t you just talk like you usually do?

Agito: ...It’s scary.

Yuriko: …

Agito: …

Yuriko: ...I wanted to ask you about it, really… If it’s no problem.

Agito looked surprised for a moment, then nodded.

Agito, composing self: There was once a child. A little girl who was treated like a princess in her village. However, someone, somewhere, looked at that village with a very simple goal. Finding who was the strongest in that village. It happened to be that princess…

They stopped, shaking. I put a hand on their shoulder, making them freeze for a moment. Looking at me for assurance, I nodded.

Yuriko: It’s alright if you don’t want to say it.

They teared up, then wiped their face. Sighing and undoing their obi, they stripped into more comfortable underclothes.

Agito, softly: ...Are you aware of Chinese Gu, Yuriko?

Yuriko: No, what is that?

Agito: ...Various creatures are put into a sealed jar for the ritual. They devour and feed upon one another, until eventually the final one is reduced into meal for larvae. The larvae then participate in a similar way… The last, grown worm is poison in its purest. That survivor is the source of its other name, “Jincan.”

_...Wait. _

Agito, tearing up: Wh-When the Despair Virus struck my town, I… I-It didn’t spread to any of us kids. We j-just had to watch. We… We were all alone and…

Agito started to cry, their silver eyes strained as they hyperventilated.

Agito, sobbing: ...I’m sc-scared. I-I’m scared to be here. I-I… I… Th-They were m-my friends… A-And I-I… I k-ki-!

Yuriko, coldly: Shut up.

Agito: B-But-!

I quickly squeezed them tightly, forcing their mouth into my shoulder. They cried, quietly, shaking. They wheezed.

Agito, sobbing: B-But I’ve...k-killed already… I’m… I’m a freak...

Yuriko: Agito… You’re not some monster. A-Aren’t demons supposed to be fancy and shit? All about contracts? Be a demon. Wear your stupid headpiece with pride. Aren’t tengu all about being crafty and shit? You’re not a fucked up bug. You’re…

I let my words trail, trying to think of anything.

Agito: ...Yuriko.

Yuriko: Yeah?

Agito: I-I don’t want a slave, a follower, anything stupid… I-I just want to know I c-can trust someone…

Yuriko: ...I’m here, then. Fuck it, you were in my room already last night. Just sleep… Relax.

They kept crying into me, even as we laid down. Eventually, however, we both drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't want to spoil or anything. So I won't say anything. But I do need to take quite some time between chapters since my initial burst of energy. Lo siento.


	11. DAY 4 - WELCOME TO DESPAIR ~STACCATO~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what that smell was.

_...Ugh. _

I stretched a free arm, Agito curled up next to me. Sighing, I took my morning shower, got dressed, and collected another set of clothes ruined by the shorter kid bawling into me. Heading straight into the laundry room, I realized I was probably the only one awake. For once, I smiled to myself, shutting my eyes.

???: ...mm, hmm. Hmm~ daadum, ba~

_...Wh-What’s that?  _ What sounded like a younger girl's voice, or at least a smaller one, came muffled from someplace nearby.  _ U-Uh… Where is that? _ Shaking a little, due absolutely to hunger and nothing else, I realized it was coming from the entrance to backstage.  _...Huh? _ Every ghost story and nonsensical nightmare I had to deal with as a kid came back to haunt me. Shaking my head, I sighed, and went to open the door. I cracked it open slightly.

???: Mhm~ hmm~ ha-Ah?

The voice was clear now in a very unfamiliar looking backstage area.  _ Come to think of it, I never did look at the set they were making… _ My eyes were immediately drawn to a little booth in the backstage area, where the voice was coming from originally. There stood-

**SNAP!**

_...Huh? Did the door hit some- _

**WHOUUUTHUNK!**

_ A-All this dust...one of the sandbags… Did it fall?  _ I tried to avoid getting into a coughing fit, my sunglasses dirtied up by the burst sandbags.

**CHURNK, THUD!**

_...What… Who is that…? The sand's so thick…  _ More fell, completely clouding the small backstage room. Sounds shuffled all around, like various things were falling in the room. I stumbled as something fell besides me, and struggled to stay standing in the middle of the mess I could barely see in. As the air slowly cleared, I finally managed to wipe my glasses. Looking around, I felt everything in me seize up. Every cell in my body froze.

_...That's right. _

_ I remember this very feeling. _

#  **A BODY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!**


	12. 4.? - JOSEKI PRIMERO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "In go and shōgi, a jōseki or jouseki is the studied sequences of moves for which the result is considered balanced for both black and white sides." The opening move is considered a form of "jouseki," although "jouseki" may arrive at any time that the opposing sides are balanced.

#  **KBO WEEKLY - NEWS FOR A BRIGHTER TOMORROW!**

##  **Culture Clash! Our Cultural Festival Inside Scoop!**

**Hello, everyone! This week saw Hope's Peak Academy's own cultural festival. Open to the public, one can't deny the significance of this event to all of Japan- nay, the world! Our very own team had been working extra hard to collect the photos for the always exclusive Cultural Photobook, available now at the school store (Ask old man Takkun to give you a discount with the code: "I already read the paper" by Thursday)! I bet what most excited everyone was all the different events and booths! And who could forget that onstage musical performance by our Music Club? Our Critic Corner sure didn't, for better or worse! Make sure to read this special edition of the KBO Weekly front to back for all the juicy details you missed while snacking on juicy takoyaki!**

**-Yukino Yamashita**

_ …Fucking MEH. _

I shook my head, putting the paper at my side. Sighing, I dusted off my postboy cap and walked through the hallways of Hope's Peak, heading straight for the headmaster.

**Why can't you let this go?**

_ It's easy… I'm the best damn investigator in the world, and they'll learn why! _

#  **= JOSEKI: SEIKO =**

"...Miss Ichikawa, you MUST understand the issue with your constant requests, yes?" the headmaster sighed with tired eyes and a strained smile. If I didn't know better, I'd even say he got a new gray hair from me just walking in. His acting was flawless.

"Listen, my main man Macaroon, ever since I left the club, they've made these totally unsubtle digs at me in every issue! I get that I was yelling, but it's unfair!" I projected my voice loud enough to bother whoever was outside.

**Click.**

_ Finally. _ As the door locked, I sighed, dropping the act and letting my hair down. Wiping my glasses, I looked the headmaster in the eye.

"...I just want to begin with the same old. I am deeply sorry for making you-"

"Old man." I smiled. "Seiko Ichikawa is nothing if not a woman of integrity and truth. I'd have hounded you to give me this job if you didn't."

"And I'd still protest," responded the voice from behind. I sighed. Despite how cold she looked and acted, the headmaster's on-off wife really loved us kids. "I don't need a partner."

"No, but… We do need a student who can help us. Seiko here was the only real option." The headmaster sighed again, sipping at some tea with a frown. "Seiko."

"Mhm?"

"It was four months ago that we had the first big wave of transfers. Most notable for you would be that new girl, Zoi, in your class." He looked out the window, sipping on tea. "On our end, the investigation seems to have found a possible lead in the Self-Determination Party. Whether it's some political play or a specific culprit, we need time to figure that out. However…"

"The 'Neo-Despair Plague.'" I cut him off as he trailed. "Two months ago, in that remote village up north, it was a freaky bloodbath. And taking credit was an anonymous figure who directly threatened you via hacking the school's own network to say, 'Despair is coming back.'" Continuing, I pulled out my notes. "Well, it was a global thing actually. Off in Novoselic, a different village had similar reportings, but the country's strict rulings on talking about Despair meant a lot got covered up." I smirked. "My buddy cracked it wide open for me. Her and I found out that it's definitely connected, and again, some unknown merc group cleaned house save for one kid our- err, my age." The headmaster looked grim.

"...Seiko. Agito Kan, the survivor of the massacre in Hokkaido, is going to be in your class. Do as you normally do. But make sure you stick with them all the time. We need to find out if these survivors could potentially be…" He looked down, forlorn. "Spies."

"Headmaster, if I may…"  _ Oh, not his name? He's sleeping on the couch this week.  _ "They may be under some form of hypnotic suggestion or the like. These traumatic events could be used to make such an environment to groom them."

"That's possible, too. Seiko, cautiously, try to get Agito to open up about their past. Do NOT go too far. Be gentle. Alright?"

"Boss, you can ask my exes- ain't no girl gentler. Leave it to Seiko!" I gave the two a confident grin and salute. "I'll report in next week as usual." Leaving, I put on an annoyed face for my act. Sighing, I shook my head as-

“AYAYAI! Woah, slow it dowwwn, girl!” A fiery-blond boy with sharp teeth bumped into me.

“Yeah, Seiko. You sure haven’t gotten any less bad at noticing us little people, huh?”

_ Aw fuck, not this assclown. _ “Out of my way, you two. Especially YOU,” I began, glaring at the taller boy with green eyes and sandy hair looking down his nose at me. “Ultimate Algorithm-Chaser.”

“That’s Ultimate  **Network Analyst** you little-!”

“Ayayai, you two idiots can make out later,” groaned the fanged boy. “We still haven’t settled this, Mister Net-Anal-Dude!”

A brief, but eternal, silence.

“BAHAHAHAHA!” I cackled, holding my gut. “Oh man, oh man, I’m gonna explode!”

“H-Hey! Shut up! It’s not…?! How the HELL do you get that from-!”

“Net! Anal!” I began. “Net! Anal! Net! Anal!” I continued, chanting as Hideto turned red with anger.

“Shut up! I swear to GOD, do you do nothing but piss people off?!” he snarled.

“What is going on out here?” the headmaster asked, opening the door.

“This- This- This idiot and this other, shorter idiot are making this inappropriate-!”

“Yo, big man! My main man with the master plan, the ruler and hero of the Academy of Kibo~ Wassup?!”  _ Wait, I do recognize this guy… _ The boy I now realized was the Ultimate Rapper beamed at the headmaster. “So like, the Net-Anal-Dude wrote this rude ass review of my performance at the Cultural Festival. But that’s fine, everyone’s a critic, y’know?” A smirk, which quickly became a frown. “My REAL problem is that he attributed the lyrics to me! Hell naw, I didn’t do those lyrics! And he refuses to correct this!”

“It’s not a big deal anyways, trash lyricism or not, the performance was terrible-”

“I put my heart into the flow, but that’s not what’s the highlight for the show, what mattered was letting my buddy on the piano rock out and SHOW~ what they can do with words!” A glare from the Rapper to the master of Net-Anal.

“Now now, let’s just come on inside and talk this over.” The headmaster sighed. “Miss Ichikawa, please refrain from instigating more issues with your peers.”  _ You ratty little grunt…  _ I clicked my tongue, trying to sell the act of him being serious, and went back to class.

“You better run! Insufferable little-”

“Mister Nagoya!”

“Y-Yes, yes, fine…”

I smirked as I heard Naggy bitch and moan about me under his breath. Going through the halls and floors of Hope’s Peak, light streaming into the building, I let my mind wander to my mission.

  * **Make contact with Agito Kan, the target of interest.**


  * Learn about Agito Kan, the survivor of the Hokkaido Neo-Despair Plague Massacre.



_...No. It should be… _

  * **Learn about Agito Kan, the survivor of the NPD Event at Hokkaido.**



_ Fuuuck yeah. Acronyms. _

  * **Determine the threat status that Agito Kan provides and any other potential spies.**



Nodding satisfied to myself, I walked into the room, ready for-

**THUD!**

“O-Ow!” a deeper voice made, something hard and angular bumping into me.

“Ah!” I rubbed my head, backing up from the taller figure holding books. In both her full sukeban-style uniform and face mask, a shaking, sputtering mess was almost glaring at me, her fiery eyes barely visible behind her mess of fiery hair… If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was ready to kill me.

“S… S-Sorry… U-Uh, Seiko, I was moving this to th… A-Are you okay?” I giggled, making her blush and hide more into her facemask.

“Akemi, you can relax. I’m not gonna yell or anything! Aren’t you supposed to be the big scary  **Ultimate MMA Champ** ?” I smirked.

“ **Fighter** …” she sighed. “I’m glad you’re okay enough to be messin’ with me… A-Ah. Seiko, did you hear? We’re getting-”

“A new student!” Hopping to attention brightly was Naoto Pearlshores, the Ultimate Actor. “I can’t wait! Will they be athletic? Or maybe they like art! If they like theater, I’d love to practice with them!”

“Wait, you guys don’t know their Talent?” I asked lazily.  _ Come to think of it, the headmaster didn’t say what it was… _

“Hmph… Aren’t you the bigger snoop than me?” Yuriko sighed from an isolated corner. “Hideo, tell’er.”

“Well,” her taller, less malnourished-looking brother began, “I couldn’t find much. But apparently they’re a  **Shrine Maiden** or something.” He looked out the window, rubbing his dark hair with tired amber eyes. Contrasting Yuriko, the lack of albinism made him look more like a sun-kissed hunk…  _ Gross. _

“...Can you idiots sit down?” The low voice contrasted most of us.  _ Ah, the most pleasant kid in the class… _ “I’d rather not deal with the new one getting bad influences.”

“...I-I should bring these to the library,” Akemi stammered, leaving quickly.

“I’ll help!” Naoto said cluelessly. Yuriko and Hideo went back to napping in their corner. I sighed, and sat down next to everyone’s favorite customer.

“Zoi, what’s up? Got a little black raincloud over your big black kombu forest. Although, I will compliment your use of braids!” I put on my best surprised face. “They make your curls exceptional today-”

“You’re going to die.”

“...Huh?” I raised a brow.

“You really can’t tell?”

“...You’re freaking me out, Zoi.” I looked away. No one else was in the room. She got up, getting into my view, staring at me with those golden eyes sunken into that small, dark face.

“When this is all over, I’ll bring you to my room.” She smiled.

“Everyone! Look here, look here! No more side conversations!” Mrs. Spellbound spoke clearly, smiling with pearly white teeth. I blinked, realizing Zoi had returned to her seat, looking bored as usual. There was an unfamiliar face in the front of the room, with bright eyes and a smile.

“We are Agito Kan, the  **Ultimate Demonic Vessel** ! Be sure to respect Our sovereignty, peons!” A laugh from the belly complemented the surreal introduction.

A few weeks of shadowing Agito turned into becoming their own personal gopher and attendant, cramping with my usual routine. Despite how pushy they were, it was fun, helping someone more commanding than me. I felt like as a pair, we could’ve made a splash in the investigative and justice journalism fields.

Of course, that’s what I thought at first.

“...Yo, Agito. Err, boss.” I sighed with a smile as I stepped out of the girls’ locker room with them. “Got a minute? I wanna ask about something.”

“Ask away! We will entertain your desires.” They smiled, looking more silly with their safety regulation bird-beak visor and gym uniform rather than the usual complex outfit.

“...Where are you from?”

“Where? Please, why would you ask of Us such a question? Do you wish to learn the forbidden arts for yourself?” A guffaw. “We had no master or place of origin which taught Us anything. I feel that-”

“No, Agito…” I sighed as we parked ourselves under a shady tree, waiting our time on the track. “I mean like, where you were born and raised. Normal kid stuff. Not the whole… ‘Demonic’ persona.” They looked confused. I sighed. “I’m no doctor. But I’ve been investigating on my own and… I would be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned. You exhibit symptoms of different disorders that you refuse to work with anyone- even your peers the Ultimate Therapist or Psychiatrist- on, I could only be your friend on the condition I’m your lackey… That’s not healthy, y’know? So I’m wondering about if you grew up someplace messed up or something… As a girl who cares about her boss, y’know?” I smiled, trying to avoid causing a scene. They, however, had a completely different look on their face.

_...Are both their eyes red? Aren’t they supposed to be- _

“You don’t get to ask that.” They looked very different, cold red eyes glaring at me. “I don’t care how long you’ve put up this act, I KNEW it was an act, you don’t get to ask that.”

Taken aback, I tried to calm them down. “A-Agito, I-”

“Shut up. If I tell you to shut up, shut up. You don’t try to drag either of us down there-” ‘ _ Either of us…?’ So would that mean- _ “-without having a death wish.” They seethed, looking away. I gave a nervous glance around, our spat luckily ignored. “Y-You’re disappointing. Not even a surprising kind of pervert, trying to take advantage of an idiot who wanted to trust you.”

“H-Hey, Agito. I just wanted to ask-”

“About Hokkaido.” They looked at me, my silence all I could muster as I stared in those uncharacteristically cold eyes. “You think you’re the first one looking at me like that? Wanting to dice up my brain for whatever garbage you’re concerned with? Taking advantage of someone who just wanted a friend or a father?” A smile. “It was obvious from the start.”

“...Agito, I’ll say it, then.” I sighed, dropping pretenses.

“What?”

“Sure, I was curious about that stuff. But that doesn’t mean I don’t...like you. You’re a fun person. I… I want to say that I wanna keep being friends regardless of the circumstances, but you seem to think shit has to be a binary ‘hate’ or ‘love’ thing? Where is all this animosity coming from?! I really did wanna help you out! I do wanna be your friend- ‘peon’ or whatever! But…” I sighed, letting frustration out. “I just was worried. And I’m the type who likes knowing more before I go any further than that. I wanted to ask you where you were from so I could help you better and not operate on an assumption.”  _ And...I need to know if you’re involved, so I can really trust you.  _ I gulped down anxiety as Agito’s brow furrowed, anxious sweat beading on them. As they blinked, their eyes faded and fluxed in tone.  _ What the hell…? _

“...Yes, I was born in Hokkaido. But it’s not been a home for a while.” They looked away, eyes fading back to silver and red. “Don’t… Don’t ask us anything else like that.”

“...What’s with the ‘we’ and ‘us’ thing versus saying ‘I’ a second ago, then? Can I ask about that?” I cocked my head.

“...Like we said, we have a demon inside us. Don’t make him any angrier. It’s hard being put together.” A sigh. “Is that it?”

“...No. I wanted to say that I’m sorry…”

“...Alright.”

Internally, I groaned.  _ It’s impossible to tell if that was just an act or not… But considering the reports by the Ultimate Therapist and Psychiatrist, they most definitely were on the money about Agito having some kind of delusional problem, or even dissociative issues…? _ I rubbed my temples as Agito and I quietly settled by the tree again.  _ This is why I hate dealing with profiling targets… It gets too personal when I need to confirm anything, too many landmines… _ I sighed, watching the runners go by.

“You know, you should be nicer to your friends,” I heard a voice say. Turning, I saw Zoi’s tall form and bad posture in a gym uniform. “You like sticking your nose everywhere too much. You think you can do whatever you want. That’s why you’re going to die.”

“Shut up,” I grumbled.

A week later, I was following up on a lead given to me by the headmaster. All I needed to do was stake out a particular club the Ultimate Chemist was a part of. Apparently, a few other new students were involved, and I made it a part of my habit alongside work on my own private publication- the one vastly superior to the  **KBO Weekly** , the  **Truth and Hope Monthly** \- to pass by the club room for these gamers every day, at start and end. I made sure it looked natural, talking up about my focus on taking a longer route in the school for health reasons, and I felt like things were going almost too easy as I kept tabs on who went in and out of the room.  _ What, is the headmaster just being paranoid? _

“Hey, you.” An obnoxious, familiar voice stopped me.

“Aw hell, what do you want, Anal man?” Nagoya, the Ultimate Network Analyst, master of all the social media nonsense, was glaring at me in the hall.

“...Seiko, I’ve been wondering.”

“Well wonder faster. I’m busy.”

“You keep poking around the school, writing in your shitty tabloid about aliens and stuff… Do you think you really have what it takes to be the Ultimate ‘Journalist?’ You’re a failure. A hack.” He frowned, and turns around. “You couldn’t sniff out the real truth if it was staring you in the face. You’re wrapped up in being some kind of stupid superhero who’s always right.”

“Oh yeah, asshole? What about you? You’re so concerned with clicks and getting sales, you forget the point of truth in the first place! Jackass!” I seethed, tired of his insults.

“At least I know that fact. The truth is, we have to do that shit.” He shook his head. “Imagine… For a second, imagine you were in the right. Then why the fuck does no one work with you? Why do you have no friends or fans? Explain that, huh.”

_ Shut up. _

“Maybe I oughta let you back into the Newspaper Club as a pity.”

_ Shut up… _

“Or maybe you’re planning on just offing yourself? Maybe your whole breakdown at the rest of us like Kiyoko the Photographer was to just set that up? I pity you even more.”

“SHUT UP!” I huffed, seeing red. “For the love of God… Shut the fuck up. Shut the fuck up, you worthless piece of shit. I have more important shit to do than hear your bullshit again.” I walked away, trying to hide my eyes tearing up from him. Without realizing it, I bumped into someone else very quickly, stumbling.

“U-Urgh… I’m sorry,” I sighed.

“O-Oh, no it’s fine. Oh… I was just looking for you, Miss Ichikawa. Oh my… Are you crying?” It was Mrs. Spellbound, looking sad as she saw me.

“N-Nuh uh… Maybe-uh…” I tried joking.

“Come on. Come with me. I know what’ll help.” She took me by the hand gently, her porcelain, doll-like finger tapping on the back of my rougher knuckles.

“A-Ah, I’m fine, honest. I need to do something-”   
“I wanted to meet with you, though, Seiko. About last week’s test.”

“O-Oh… Really?”

“Yeah, and with you crying, I’m going to assume your work quality was stunted by the same things stressing you out now?” she asked, on the money.  _ Ugh… I can’t tell her about this stuff, though… _ She led me into her office. “Please, sit down.”

“Alright…” I sat down.

There wasn’t a smell to the cloth.

Nor to the chemical.

It was just a bottle of golden liquid in the rough hands of some unknown figure, much taller and stronger than me, forcing me in place as the rag was put over my mouth and the liquid force-fed to me through it. It splashed on my face, hitting into even my nose and eyes. A gold haze ruined all my senses and thoughts.

_ That’s right. _

“Another pest disposed of. Great work, Richard. Or should I call you-”

_ This is the last I remember of Hope’s Peak. _

“Seiko… Y-You don’t remember? What happened to your notebook?”

“U-Uh… Mister Headmaster… With all due respect, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“...It happened again, sir.”

_ Everyone… Agito… Yuriko… I’m sorry… I figured it out… And still messed up again… _

“What the hell happened to you? You really think I’ll let you back into the club?”

“B-But… I really don’t remember what you’re talking about.”

“...Fucking weirdo.”

_ Wh-What was the point of any of this? What was the point of trying and failing? _

**...It’s okay if you messed up.**

_...Zoi? _

**You reached for the sun. And you found it. You caught that hot, golden ball with your own hands. That alone deserves praise.**

She extended a hand.

_...I’m scared. It’s cold. It's getting so cold. My neck hurts. My throat burns. I think I’m throwing up. _

**Don’t worry.**

She smiled, her golden eyes dropping tears.

_ What if everyone dies all because of me…? _

**...But if they don’t, they succeeded because of you.**

Her hand was the warmest thing I ever held.

**Let’s go to my room, okay?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this hasn't been too experimental for you. I have to say it's been a fun exercise and experiment. I'm going to take my time moving forward as writing out the trial/investigation mechanics will be... Creative.


	13. 4.1 - investigation.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You didn't forget who this is about, did you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead, just practicing.

The look of a dead body is very different when it has a name.

Kazuto, distant: Wh-What on earth was that?!

_Ah… The others… They’ll see her, too._

Covered in the dust and powder of the stage sandbags that fell from above, I sighed, taking off my dirtied shades to look at the backstage area and corner of the stage that was covered in more sand, fallen pieces of...something, and the blood and bloodied vomit coming from a single body.

_...Huh?_

I realized something under the body was stirring, and cautiously moved closer.

???, muffled, wheezing: Mhmgh…

Despite the disgusting mix of dirt and the body’s excess covering her, I saw Sankero struggling to get up, seemingly dazed from the body having landed on her.

_Yes… The body…_

I was frozen, only able to stare. The shaking, small girl that was Sankero underneath a body tied down with some sandbags.

_This is real. This is happening._

Kazuto: I-Is that… Sankero?! And…! Yuriko, help her out from…

_We had a plan. We were figuring things out. We could’ve found out anything, maybe even something to help us escape or something._

Yuriko, hushed: ...Wh-Why? Why you, and not someone else?

Kazuto, rushing over: Sankero, let me get you out from there!

The smaller girl was still seemingly having trouble breathing. Scrambling for her mask’s latches, she wheezed as she got it off, her red eyes wide and boggling with panic. Despite how dirty everything else was, her face was only caked in sweat. She was bleary-eyed. Maybe the sand was clogging her mask.

_I get it. No brother, not even the one friend who’s actually helping me out._

Something made me jump, poking the small of my back.

Monokuma: My my my, we haven’t even gotten to the good part yet! Don’t get your mind broken yet!

Yuriko: ...What?

Monokuma: Once everyone’s gathered, we can begin.

Monokuma, pulling out radio transceiver, projected: Hear that, folks?! Get your asses to the stage! We have a surprise for ya’! A bloody one!

_...Surprise?_ I blinked, looking again at Seiko. _What’s surprising at this? I’m fucked over again._ I sighed, looking back at Kazuto helping Sankero up. The smaller girl looked completely dazed as she coughed.

Yuriko: ...F-Fuck this. I’m taking a shower-

Monokuma, giggling: Do so, and you’re breaking the rules! You don’t wanna make widdle old me angry, do you?

_...Why do I have to look at this?_ I felt my eye twitch, putting my dirty sunglasses on again and looking down at my feet. Dust blocked my vision from having to look any more at the body and everyone slowly piling in, expressing confusion, shock, anger, grief, or…

Koji, calmly: So, whodunnit is the question.

Jiro, nervously: H-Hey… Bro… Don’t say that. Y-You can’t mean-

Niwai, shaking: Sh-Shut up. I… N-No, no way in hell anyone did this! It was that stupid bear-

A cruel, taunting laughter silenced his protests, its origin making me nearly jump.

Agito: Honestly, honestly! I couldn’t hold it back! Really! Despite everything we know, you’re so convinced in the morality of this band of merry misfits!

Niwai, confused: ...A-Agito?

The small form stepped forward. Their eyes were red, with an unexpected, almost hungry look in them.

Agito, playful: Our torturer is one who enjoys public displays and performance. If Seiko truly had earned Monokuma’s wrath, then we’d watch as she’d slowly die to this **plague,** no?

Homura, upset: Pl-Plague? ...A-Are you saying o-one of us used some kind of biological weapon?

Agito, giggling: You sheltered little kids. Surely you aren’t this dense, ESPECIALLY the doctor herself! Unless of course… You’re playing the fool.

Monokuma: Oh please, continue. I love seeing you pop the hell off! You’re great at this, right guys? Encourage your friend!

Agito: The **rules** explicitly state only two are allowed to die. And yet I see we are all gathered here, including our late friend who- as is hopefully clear- could not have done this to herself. And you all were ready to start panicking and yelling like headless chickens to give **the killer** a better chance, except for the only one of you with sense. A big round of applause for you, the better Inoue!

Agito began clapping as Koji looked as deadpan as ever.

Koji: ...So, what happens now? I suppose this is where that update to the rules comes in.

Monokuma, leaping up: EXACTLY! Open your e-Books up, everyone!  
Niwai, teary: N-No. Wh-What the hell… N-Nngh… S-Someone’s dead. ICHIKAWA’S DEAD! H-HOW THE HELL CAN YOU EXPECT US TO JUST… I…

Akemi, stuttering: S-So… If she’s dead, then any of us could be next. Th-Then we should st-stay calm, r-right? R-Right…?

Her eyes pleaded with him.

Niwai, pale: I-I…

Matsuken, sweating: Y-Yes, we should all just take a moment, at least. J-Just… This is much to take in, and you ask us to do something so suddenly?

Monokuma, fuming: SHUT UP and take out your e-Book, or I will end this game myself and see all of you killed off! And for the killer- THAT MEANS YOU TOO! So don’t think you can play any mindgames here! What I say is FINAL.

Everyone took out their e-Books, most shaking with nerves, excluding myself.

**< Main Menu >**

**> >RULES**

**< ++Additional information has been added. Please review. >**

**< < RULES IN THE EVENT OF A MURDER >>**

**< RULE NUMBER 9 >**

**The Body Discovery Announcement will play when and only when a murdered body has been found by three different people who are not the killer. Take note that “murder” is subject to its own interpretation rather than the conventional legal definition.**

**< RULE NUMBER 10 >**

**In the event of a murder, the Blackened- yes, this means YOU, killer- must be discovered through the process of investigation and Class Trial. If discovered and fingered properly, you- the Blackened, who has been fingered as the culprit- must pay the price of the truth being revealed. Note that any who attempt to invoke the Accomplice License are spared from this punishment, so long as they were not the one who dealt the final blow.**

Daiki: Th-This is already a lot to take in…

Niwai, weakly: Hah… H-Hahha…

Jiro, teary: C-Can you not ph-phrase the rules like some kinda joke? S-Someone just died…

Niwai, getting low: I-I’m having a panic attack. N-No, I’m losing my mind. Hahahaha… I…

Monokuma, slapping: PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER, MAN!

Niwai, hoisted up: Ghghh!

Monokuma, throwing him back: Gross. And you REALLY played the “cool, reliable” type? Look at you, crying over something as simple as a dead body!

Akemi shakily caught Niwai, his eyes completely lost. _Damn idiots._

Niwai: Y-You… Th-That was our friend… A-And she’s dead because of y-!

Monokuma: Eh, not this song again.

**Fwip!**

A spike from Monokuma’s stuffed paws shot out, and Niwai slowly shut his eyes. His chest continued to move.

Monokuma: ...Drop him. I mean YOU, Clifford the Big Red Moron.

Akemi: I… Tch…! I’m sorry, Niwai, y-you-

Monokuma: Shut up and get back to listening to me. That idiot’s gonna be out til the trial. WHICH I HAVE YET TO EXPLAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Next person to interrupt is getting shot with the other hand.

**BANG!**

**CRUNKGSH!**

The bullet ricocheted off of Sankero’s mask in her hands, making her drop it in a stunned panic. The ladder to the scaffolding above the stage dropped with a bounce as the bullet hit it loose. Everyone seemed to hold back with shock; Sankero, who barely composed herself, was frozen.

Monokuma: ...Oopsie. Don’t worry, I don’t think it hit anyone!

Sankero began bawling.

Monokuma: O-Oh, c’mon! N-Not you…! You’re too adorable for me to shoot, like an endangered-

Monokuma, pulling out a tablet: According to the July 2020 revision of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species lookup, a harvestman, or _texella idiota_. Look it up, I’m serious! Whatever, just ignore the girl that’s bugging me as I explain the rest of the rules.

Sankero, still crying, went to her knees in front of Seiko’s body as Monokuma aggressively motioned for everyone to turn back to their e-Books. He threateningly pointed the reloaded hand at Akemi and Homura who both tried to put a hand on the smaller girl’s shoulder.

**< RULE NUMBER 11 >**

**The investigation is carried out for a set period of time before the trial. During this, the residents of the Hope Survival Shelter must participate in the Killing Game together to find whodunnit. They can do this through any means they consider necessary, excluding causing further death after a Body Discovery Announcement.**

**< RULE NUMBER 12 >**

**Take note that two bodies may exist, or even many killers may exist at a time, but once a body is found, any and all attempts to kill will be penalized appropriately.**

**< RULE NUMBER 13 >**

**Following an investigation is a Class Trial, whose own rules differ depending on the circumstances. However, the universal rules can be considered to be always in effect. These are, in short:**

**< < RULES OF THE CLASS TRIAL >>**

  * **After the time allowed for a trial is over, the participants must vote on who they believe the culprit is. If the vote is not unanimous, a last minute period of discussion is held, and then the final vote is based on majority to determine the jury’s decision.**
  * **Monokuma’s verdict and word is law, and the final say in every matter. “Moving on,” as said by Monokuma, means move on or be penalized.**
  * **If the culprit is found, the culprit is punished appropriately. If not, the culprit is given their freedom, and the failures are punished appropriately.**



**< RULE NUMBER 14 >**

**As always, new rules will be added in the event that they are determined to be needed.**

Sankero continued to sob as Monokuma sighed.

Monokuma: So, any questions? No? Then get your butts in gear to investigating!

He hopped away, off the stage, and left everyone in a quiet state of pure tension. Silence, confusion, and sobbing filled the air.

Zeku: ...Uh, everyone?

Matsuken: Y-Yes?

Zeku: M-Maybe I could help… I’m sorry for uh, how weird I was th-the first day and stuff. I don’t really…

Zeku, gulping: I don’t really have your names or faces in my head well. I’m sorry… I’m not very good at thinking or anything for myself, but…

_What is wrong with these people._

Akemi: ...Y-Yeah. We need people to protect the body. Good plan, Zeku. I’m… I’m no good with this shit. I’ll…

_Th-They just… D-Don’t care?_

Kazuto: ...Then I believe in the spirit of ensuring no tampering with the crime scene, or any investigations being led astray by this potential of an “accomplice” license, we stay in groups of at least three for our work. ...Unfortunately, Niwai does not count for any of that, and will need to be watched over by...

_What… What the fuck kind of bullshit is this? What the FUCK?! How are you so assured of yourself saying all this bullshit?! H-How is everyone so calm?!_

Daiki: U-Uh, Yuriko? Hey, wait a seco-!

Calmly, I walked down the hall, and into my room. Grabbing that same set of clothes, going into that sterile and quiet bathroom.

Yuriko: ...Finally, perfectly quiet.

After throwing my own clothes covered in sand in the trash, I washed myself off, letting the running water clean my sunglasses.

Yuriko: ...heh.

I felt something tugging at the corner of my mouth.

Yuriko: Hehehe, this isn’t real, hahaha, it can’t be happening like this, right? N-Not again… I’m supposed to be the goddamn loser who stays behind the computer and never has to see this shit… I-I was never supposed to be on the front lines… Hehehe, it’s just some kind of joke. It’s all a fucking joke. Seiko convincing me we had some kind of idea, hint, information, anything that could help us understand, and understand to lead to escape, but no it’s all just a GODDAMN JOKE! I-I… I should’ve been the one to...

I blinked, and looked at my sore hand, smashed against the wall. A bit of blood was trickling from where my fragile skin collided with the tile. Sighing, I let the water run through my hair and down the drain for a little longer. _Just a bit longer…_

Stepping out and getting dressed in a fresh set of clothes, more blood came from my hand, forcing me to bandage it. I collected myself and put my sunglasses on before opening the door. But outside, instead of the hallway of the shelter, I saw some vaguely recognizable hall. Taking a few steps down, I then ran into a room full of distant bodies, faces I couldn’t recognize or understand.

_...I see._

_It’s not them._

_I’ve cracked._

???: ...Yuriko. You need to rest.

I turned, exhausted.

???: You are in no shape to keep moving. You barely look alive.

I looked at my shoes, the blood flooding everywhere.

???: Maybe you should just go back to your room and sleep. Make sure you take care of that hand, yes?

I nodded at the person(?) who spoke to me, and stumbled, falling unconscious on my soft bed.

???: Rest, girl. You were never strong enough to live without your brother. You do not need to worry about our work. Just dream about yours.

_...Hideo… Could you kill this fucker… They’re ruining my sleep..._

#  **Investigation -START-**

Breathing deeply, I felt my mind empty. Every distraction, fractured memory, and formless personality left my mind. Pure focus, laser-guided towards the situation in front of me.

Homura: Zeku, just remember… In and out, slowly. Keep your heart steady. Okay?

She reassuringly patted my back. I felt a smile tug, and I nodded at her, mentally reciting what I said aloud earlier.

_...I’m not good at thinking for myself, but my name is Zeku. It may not be my real name, but it is what I call myself because it is what you all, my friends, call me. I am not good at thinking or acting for myself. But I have good eyes. And I can’t say I truly understand what I am feeling about this situation. But I feel like despite that… Because of that, I want to help find who did this. I want to use this empty, confused brain of mine to do at least one thing right for everyone. If you will let me._

Homura, quietly: ...Zeku?

Zeku: ...Hm?

Homura: Name, place, plan. Grounding.

Her smile gave me a warm feeling. I nodded, feeling myself more clearly.

Zeku: My name is Zeku. We are in the stage hall. We are going to find what happened to Seiko.

Naoto, nervously: S-So… We should get started.

The actor was shaking, clinging onto Sankero’s hand. The smaller girl looked vacant, worn out completely by the events surrounding the body’s discovery. _...Huh._ I noticed on her dress, surprisingly, was some blood. _Seiko didn’t have any wounds open wounds or sources of blood… The file says as much. But a bit of blood is on Sankero anyways. We should follow up on this…_

##  **UP THE SLEEVE: Bloody Frog**

**< In this game, when acquiring unique evidence that does not get logged, they will be “UP THE SLEEVE.” You can take that one for yourself. >**

Homura, worried: Zeku? You alright?

Zeku: U-Uh… Sorry. I’m just already noticing stuff… U-Uh. My name is Zeku. We are in the stage room. We’re… We’re going to find who killed Seiko.

I looked around the room. Next to me was Naoto holding Sankero, and Homura close in case if I started to lose balance or sense. Akemi stood quietly, looking away from the body as she guarded it. Kazuto in their hazard suit was investigating Seiko’s body, mumbles sometimes escaping through the transceiver. Lastly in the area was Agito, frowning to themselves in the corner as they… Maybe it was meditation. _Huh._ Next to them was the unconscious form of Niwai.

Homura: ...So, Matsuken and Eun-Ji said they’d try to keep Yuriko company after she just. Walked out like that.

Homura, to herself: It seemed like a trauma reaction… Maybe a dissociative state even… Probably not her first… I’d need to pick over her brain in an MRI to confirm things…

Naoto, exhausted: Uh, doc? Can we not do that? Not now?

Homura, ashamed: Ah! Y-Yes, I’m sorry… I worry in weird ways… But now’s not the time.

Naoto: Zeku… You’re going to lead the investigation? You mean it?

Zeku: ...I mean it. I think I may be afraid that I overestimated myself.

Homura: Well, that’s what we’re here for. We’ll help you.

Naoto: ...I’m going to wait offstage with Sankero. She doesn’t need to see this…

He took the smaller girl by the hand and walked off.

Zeku: ...We are here on the stage. Elsewhere… Matsuken and Eun-Ji are in the sleeping quarters. I believe we should check in on them later to see what’s become of Yuriko following her suddenly going quiet. And besides us on the stage, you have Daiki’s group, which includes the Inoue brothers and Roland. That would be all of us. We should check in with them after we meet with Matsuken and Eun-Ji.

Homura: And for right now?

Zeku: ...We should speak to Agito last. They look asleep… Tired. I think the body comes first.

Homura: ...Are you ready?

…

**> Do I have a choice?**

_That’s all that really matters, I guess. I can’t just run away. My brain would kill me if I forced myself to be alone._ I took in a breath.

Zeku: ...I’m ready. Let’s take a look at Seiko.

Homura: Well, maybe we should review the Monokuma File.

Zeku: ...Yeah.

I gulped. _I don’t remember that._ Homura took her e-Book out, and I followed suit.

**< Main Menu >**

**> >KILLING GAME HUB**

**> >INVESTIGATION**

##  **EVIDENCE ROUND: Monokuma File #01**

**The victim is Seiko Ichikawa, the Ultimate Journalist. The time of death was 3:04 AM. The body was discovered at 6:48 AM at the stage.**

**The cause of death was a lethal dosage of a certain mixture injected into her bloodstream, followed by asphyxiation from ropes and her increasingly paralyzed body. No visible wounds are on her body. The point of injection is found on the neck. There is no sign of a struggle preceding the injection of the lethal mixture.**

_...So that’s it._

Homura: ...Well, we can draw a couple ideas from this.

Zeku: ?

Homura: The body won’t tell us too much about what’s in the file. But we can probably find more information about what **isn’t.**

Zeku: Oh… I get it. And like what Agito said about a… “Plague.”

Homura: Yes. That part was...concerning.

She gulped. I took a look at Agito. In their meditative stance, they were…

_Fighting._

We approached the body, Akemi and Kazuto near it.

Kazuto: Hello. Come to take a look?

Homura nodded gingerly, and knelt down.

Seiko was pale. Her eyes pointed in two different directions, and there were bruises where she was tied up by the ropes of the stage sandbags. _No blood whatsoever._ I saw the tiny irritated area around where a needle must’ve been injected into her neck.

Homura, nervous: Zeku?

Zeku, spacey: ...H-Huh?

Homura: You stopped breathing…

Zeku: ...Sorry.

I gulped and looked at the body again. I could feel more eyes boring into me. Closing my eyes, I breathed deep.

Zeku, eyes closed: ...Do you know where her satchel and camera are?

Homura: We haven’t found them.

Akemi: I-I think whoever did this stole them… Maybe she snapped a picture of her.

_…”Her?”_ I opened my eyes. _...Focus on the body first._

Zeku: Kazuto, did you find any source of blood?

Kazuto: Hm? No… Was Sankero not injured?

Zeku: We don’t know yet. **But if she was injured by anything, it would have to be the music stand- which at the time of the body’s discovery was empty and without the hardware that could cause damage- or something on Seiko’s own body. Her camera and satchel are missing. Why would they be missing? And where did the blood come from?**

##  **UPDATED: Bloody Frog**

I noticed that Kazuto was holding out their e-Book the whole while, and filed away the recording.

Zeku: What are you doing?

Kazuto: Recording you. For the evidence. This will be useful to keep in mind for the trial. As we explore more, we can take photos of other things and update the existing evidence too. It’s dubbed… “Evidence Rounds.”

##  **EVIDENCE ROUND: State of the Scene**

I felt my eyes twitching about as I looked over the body.

Zeku: ...Homura, I think I figured something out, I’m not sure. Can I ask your professional opinion?

She raised an eyebrow, then stepped aside with me.

Homura: Uh… Are you feeling alright? You seem unusually animated.

Zeku: This killer… This killer was trying to make something of this. Trying to do something weird with the body. However, caught off guard by Sankero. Maybe she was just prepping the stage. Maybe she was curious. Whatever it was, she was supposed to die, but did not.

Homura: Z-Zeku… Can you slow down? You… You’re making some very scary leaps. I know this is stressful, but-

Zeku, grabbing Homura: Listen. I… I feel like I’ve seen this kind of thing already. Maybe it has to do with my missing memories. Or maybe my talent was forensics or investigating, haha… I found it. I found what I’m really supposed to do. I feel like… Clear. I… I have to solve this. I’ll find what I’m missing if I solve this.

Homura: ...Zeku, I strongly advise you take a step back. No… No, not medically advise you.

Homura, sighing: Zeku, as your friend I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Emotionally. Grief is hard. I’m… I’m doing my best to hide how I feel about all this since we have to. But I’m scared for you and your seizures.

_...Scared. Scared of me finding myself?_ I breathed in. _No… No, she cares. I’m just… What am I finding?_ I looked down. _...I have to dig deeper, no matter what. I have to find what I am._ I glanced to the side. _I have to find the truth of this murder. I can’t be selfish._

Zeku: ...I understand that. But I think I’m a step closer to figuring out how to deal with them in a way that isn’t just… Hiding in your chest. Helping other people makes me feel… I feel right. I feel bad just trying to hide in your chest every time something goes wrong with my brain.

I sighed, exhausted. Homura gave me an odd look.

Zeku, confused: What?

Homura: H-Hey, you realize what that sounds like, yeah? Talking about my chest like that?

Zeku, curious: No… Is something wrong?

Homura, shaking her head with a grin: ...I-If I help you feel comfortable, I’m glad for that, and if you want to be less dependent, I understand. Just don’t push yourself too hard. I’ll always be here for you…

Homura, giggling: Chest and all.

_...I don’t think it’d be appropriate to ask what gaffe I made this time._ I sighed. _No, it wouldn’t._

Zeku: ...I think next we should try talking a bit to everyone around here. Then we can explore the scaffolding after Monokuma uh, “dropped” the ladder.

Homura: Alright. Wanna split up?

Zeku, shaking head: No, we should speak to everyone together. I might veer off course a bit…

Homura: Well, that is true. You do seem more put-together, though. It’s reassuring.

Zeku: Thanks for that.

Homura: Oh! No problem. At least you’re not swearing up a storm, right?

Zeku, embarrassed: Ahaha…

Kazuto: Well, you two make the fun couple. Like a stick bug and a ladybug.

Kazuto approached us, Akemi still pacing a bit around the body nervously. Despite her demeanor in the back, Kazuto appeared far more composed.

Kazuto: So, what do you want to know?

Homura: Well, I think what’s most important first is establishing **alibis** and what we were doing around the time of the murder. I assume for most everyone that would be sleeping.

Kazuto: Unfortunately, yes. I doubt it’ll be easy to find a killer willing to reveal themselves. That said, **I was personally wrapping up cleanup of the stage before heading to bed.** You have my assurance on that. **Any changes done to the stage had to have happened after me.**

##  **EVIDENCE ROUND: Everyone’s Alibis**

Zeku: **You also were the first on the scene after the Body Discovery Announcement, yeah?**

Kazuto: **Yes. I helped poor Sankero out from under Seiko…**

Zeku, nodding: Thank you for that. I… I feel like she’d want to thank you.

Kazuto: Please, anyone would have. Ah… Except for Yuriko, I suppose. **She was there, but she wasn’t at all responsive. Just was standing there like a statue.**

_Huh… So that checks with how she acted after we all arrived._

##  **EVIDENCE ROUND: Body Discovery**

Kazuto: Anything else?

Zeku: Nothing I can think of… Homura?

Homura: ...Well. You ARE the Ultimate Pathologist. Agito spoke of a plague. Any ideas?

Kazuto took a moment to think.

Kazuto: ...I believe we should investigate the nurse’s room later. Considering the injuries on the body as well, perhaps it has all the keys to the murder weapon. I’d be able to give you a proper hypothesis then. Let me know, eh?

We nodded at them. Kazuto returned to investigating the body, and we followed, walking up to Akemi. She looked up from her pacing, eyes a bit frantic.

Akemi: Y-You guys want somethin’?

Zeku: Well, did you notice anything?

Homura: ...You seem troubled. You can tell us about that, too.

Akemi went to speak, then looked down, almost ashamed.

Akemi: Not here… Actually, can we at least turn around or something?

She aimed her eyes at Agito, who seemed to be looking aimlessly at the floor as they kept sweating in their odd squat. Akemi looked uncomfortable as she stepped to the main stage, away from Agito’s view.

Homura, walking with Akemi: Sure, we can do that. What’s the matter?

Akemi: ...I saw who did it. B-But. Well, not their face, but. I saw them.

I thought about how skittish she was acting.

Zeku, confused: ...Agito did it?

Akemi: N-No. Not them. They’re too small. But…

Akemi took deep breaths.

Akemi, glancing: Don’t record this. I know we can record this, but please don’t. I don’t want this to be found out.

Homura nodded. Akemi collected herself and spoke, looking down at her feet. _Standing like that, I’m a bit taller aren’t I..._

Akemi: **It was last night. Or I guess this morning. I couldn’t sleep so I left my room, and grabbed something to eat. It’s not all that clear, but it was after midnight. So I was eating out in the atrium when I heard a sound from the stage area. Like a big “thump.” Well, not big since it was distant, but it was late and quiet and I was really jumpy. So I took a look and…**

Akemi, removing her mask: **I saw someone over someone else. The person was. Naked. Really really gross pale and with long hair, I couldn’t make out their face but. I was freaked out, thinking it was a ghost… B-But I think… I think I saw…**

Homura: That’s enough. It’s okay. We get you.

##  **UP THE SLEEVE: Akemi’s Eyewitness Account**

_...A ghost._

Akemi huffed, shaking.

Homura: ...So you’re implying Yuriko did it.

Akemi: N-No, I KNOW she did! She… She had to. Who else here hates everyone like that?! Sh-She’s probably crazy.

Homura, sternly, smiling: Please, keep this to yourself until the trial.

Akemi, shaking: Y-Yeah. I know. I will. Please don’t t-tell anyone. Especially that little freak that’s been tailing her. They scare me.

Homura: ...You’re scared? Aren’t you the Ultimate MMA Fighter? Don’t you know how to beat people back easily?

Akemi, quietly: ...I don’t like it.

Homura sighed through her nose, then gave the sulking Akemi a pat on the head, making the larger girl jump to attention. The doctor then gave her a warm smile.

Homura: You’re a good friend. I just want you to show more than physical restraint with other people too… But thank you for that info. It’ll help a lot.

Homura gave me a nod, and we turned to leave.

_...She saw a ghost, huh?_

Zeku: So, we should ask Agito some questions first, yeah? Then check out the scaffolding?

Homura nodded. We approached the smaller resident, who was definitely in a sort of trance. Their eyes reminded me of mine.

Homura, softly: Agito?

Agito, mumbling: Om mani… Om mani…

_...Buddhist._ I shut my eyes, feeling my head throb.

Homura: ...Agito, could we ask you some questions?

Agito, mumbling: On ma nei...

Homura: Ah… If you want to be left alone, we can do that.

Zeku, mumbling: Shiki soku ze kuu.

Agito’s eyes opened up, pure silver. _Not like mine._ They looked tired and nervous.

Agito: ...Kuu soku ze shiki. Are you… Are you faithful too, Zeku? You didn’t pick your name, but you connected with it?

Zeku: ...I don’t know. It just felt right to say.

Agito: Where’s Yuriko?

Homura: In her room.

Agito, stumbling as they stood: I need to go right now.

Homura, gently grabbling their arm: Please, can you answer our questions about the murder first?

Agito: F… Fine…

They sat down, looking upset.

Zeku: ...Agito, what did you mean by a plague?

They looked completely blindsided, then collected themselves.

Agito: Uh… Well, I mentioned a plague… A-About… The body? So. Uh… Do I have to?

Homura, firmly: Well, yes, since everyone was scared by your words.

Agito looked again shocked, and sighed.

Agito, quietly: W-Well. Have you heard of Gu rituals?

Zeku: No…

Homura, confused: Are they relevant to the plague?

Agito, looking down, strained: I… I came from a remote village. I guess you could call it that. What I can remember of my past is that, when I was maybe five, or seven, something poisoned the water supply with a parasite. This spread through the adults of the village, leading to a massacre… And then the children were corralled and forced to do similar… Ahaha… I… I can’t stop thinking about it… Why did I bring it up in front of everyone…

Zeku: Did you not mean to act like that earlier?

Agito, jumpy: Uh. **Th-The plague… Parasite. It’s the Neo-Despair Parasite. It’s not contagious, but has to be injected directly into the bloodstream or consumed. It causes fits of mania, loss of reason, seizures, and doesn’t end unless the person infected is killed. Basically, you go crazy with…**

##  **EVIDENCE ROUND: Agito’s Testimony**

Zeku: Despair?

Homura: ...I remember that being a big thing a while ago, but. What does a bioweapon of the past have to do with us?

Agito: ...I have to go-

Homura: Please, slow down. Yuriko’s asleep anyways.

Agito: I-I don’t care. I… I have to apologize. I…

Their geta clopped along as they moved to the door to the laundry room and I caught a glistening, cloudy and frantic eye as they hesitated before closing the door. It shut quickly after.

Homura: ...I don’t wanna chase after them, but. We didn’t get an alibi.

Zeku: ...Every night, Agito sneaks off to Yuriko’s room. They always slept together, I think.

Homura: Were you watching the hall? How long do you stay up?

Zeku: ...I don’t know. But I know we can trust Agito. At least, we should. They can’t trust themselves.

Homura kept quiet a moment.

Homura: ...We can talk after all this is over. Let’s just focus on the scaffolding.

_...Were we made like that too?_

I blinked.

Zeku: Where’s the ladder?

Following Homura, we climbed up the ladder leading to the scaffolding, walking past the sleeping Niwai.

Homura: Poor guy… You first, Zeku.

Zeku: Alright.

I climbed up the ladder first, and took odd steps on the metal ground, my body being supported by thick steel cables. Homura slowly steadied herself on them as well.

Homura, nervous: N-No guard rails or anything, huh…

Zeku: Nope.

Homura: So, I feel like we’d find something up here, and this was intentional by Monokuma.

Zeku: Really? What makes you say that?

Homura: Most likely, to give us some sort of equal grounds for the investigation. Of course, this also means that the killer would have this as access to do as they please.

Zeku: ...Do you think they did?

Homura: No one’s been up here, except for you and me.

Homura sighs, and turns to me.

Zeku: ...Do you see anything?

Homura: Well, **from up here, you can see how the sandbags were tampered with. And where Seiko was suspended from.**

She took pictures with her e-Book.

Homura: May as well have a birdseye look at the scene, too.

##  **EVIDENCE ROUND: Stage Ropes**

Homura: You know what’s fun? This thing gives people updates. Oh, that reminds me! The messenger app! We should see if that has anything.

Zeku: Yeah, that’s a good idea.

As Homura fiddled with her e-Book, something caught my eye. I approached a specific spot on the scaffolding, and knelt down for a better look. _...Bandages?_ Analyzing them, I felt that manic feeling gnawing at my head again. Before I felt my tongue wag on its own, I pulled out my e-Book and began recording.

Zeku: Bandages. **Bandages which appear to have a… Dry smell to them. Used bandages torn and found on the scaffolding, exactly where one would need to be to set up the body’s suspended state. Was the culprit injured beforehand? Did the culprit perhaps get injured while attacking Seiko? Is it a part of the culprit’s outfit? How did they not notice something attached to, most likely, their feet getting ripped off and left here?**

I blinked.

Zeku: ...I should photograph this.

##  **UPDATED: State of the Scene**

##  **EVIDENCE ROUND: Torn Bandages**

Homura: Hmhmhm.

I turned to her slight giggling.

Zeku: What?

Homura: I’m glad there’s something that makes your gears turn right. Even if it’s as awful as this… Maybe we could find something to keep your brain clicking like this. We could read those plays and talk themes?

Zeku: What’d you get from the chat logs?

Homura: A-Ah… Well, nothing really. Just this-

She led me through the e-Book menus.

**< Main Menu >**

**> >MONOMESSENGER HUB**

**> >Class Chat**

**03:04 - Kenichi Matsudaira: ggroasronf3qoffw’g**

**^ oh my goodness**

**^ I am so sorry everyone. It is 3 AM and I dropped my e-Book. Please excuse the loud bang.**

**03:04 - Yusuke Yamashita: lol i didnt even know this had notifs**

**03:05 - Niwai: and you can set a nickname. tight**

**^ its cool bro. its soundproofed i think???**

**03:05 - Kazuto Romero: I did not hear anything. I am having a very late snack and I believe the entire sleeping area is soundproofed tightly.**

**03:06 - Kenichi Matsudaira: Kazuto, please go to bed. It isn’t safe to be out alone.**

**03:06 - Kazuto Romero: If I were the teasing type, I would say, “I am not alone,” and leave you with that. I will be in bed again soon. Just needed a proper bit of food while no one can see.**

**03:07 - Niwai: no worries, you can even bring your food to your room if you need to just stay safe bud**

**03:07 - Kazuto Romero: Thank you.**

Homura: And that’s it. It does set a timetable for these three, so it’s probably useful.

Zeku: Yeah… Oh. “Pin as evidence.” That’s useful.

##  **EVIDENCE ROUND: Chatlog**

Homura: ...I think that’s everything for the stage. There’s something we need to find, though.

Zeku: What’s that?

Homura: The murder weapon. And there’s only one place it could’ve come from.

Zeku: Huh… Let’s go, then.

Homura: But not yet! We still have to talk to Sankero, remember?

Zeku: Oh yeah… I was thinking, sorry.

She smiled with a curious brow, but said nothing. I followed Homura out, and we went down to the main stage, where Naoto glumly held onto Sankero who still looked out of it.

Naoto: She’s not hurt or anything, but…

The actor’s eyes warbled.

Naoto: Can we hurry up so she can shower? Right, Sankero?

The small girl gave a weak nod, and looked up at me and Homura.

Homura: Do you feel like talking about what happened?

Sankero shook her head.

Homura: Well, do you have anything you think would be important to say?

Sankero shook her head.

Zeku: **...Did the body throw up on you? Is that why you’re bloody?**

**Sankero took a moment, then gingerly nodded.**

Zeku: **Would you say that she was alive or dead?**

The words came out of my mouth, and I was left disoriented by the sound of my own voice. Sankero seemed uneasy, and then started to tear up, making weak sounds.

Naoto, stammering: I-I’ll take her to get cleaned up! I… Zeku…!

Naoto gave me a look, and gingerly brought Sankero with him to the residential area, around the long way to avoid the body.

Homura: Not the best question there… We couldn’t even ask Naoto for an alibi. I guess we’ll just have to assume everyone was asleep… Did you leave your door open every night? You knew about Agito and Yuriko so…

Zeku: I don’t leave my door open. Or… I do but, I don’t really notice much. I guess I like the noise.

Homura: ...That’s dangerous, Zeku. Please be careful. I could be with you if you want, even if that’s sleeping in the corner to just breathe for you.

Zeku: No, it’s fine.

I blinked, rubbing my temples.

**_So, the body vomited on her, and we don’t know if she was alive or dead._ **

I felt words tugging at my throat, and let them out.

Zeku: Monokuma… Can I ask a question?

Monokuma, suddenly: HEY-O!

Homura flinched.

Zeku: The Monokuma File doesn’t lie, right?

Monokuma: Of course not! **Every detail in there is one-hundred-percent right! It always will be!**

Zeku: **So, that would mean that when the body landed on Sankero, it was a dead body vomiting blood on her.** Thank you.

Monokuma: Anything else?!

Homura: N-No, please go away.

Monokuma, saddened: Oh… How cruel youth is…

##  **UPDATED: Bloody Frog**

_...This is it. This does better._ I nodded to myself. _Finally, something’s clicking. Something’s connecting._

Zeku: When’s our next appointment, psych?

Homura, tired: Uh, I’m a surgeon, not a psychiatrist. But let’s say after all this awfulness is over we can talk. I feel like you’re giving me a lot of questions to ask AND answer.

Zeku: Then for now let’s go to the nurse’s office.

##  **EVIDENCE ROUND: Murder Weapon**

We both flinched as our e-Books gave us notifications. Before we could even look at it, suddenly a loud crackle of the intercom.

**< < KSHHH >>**

Monokuma: Okay, your hour’s up. It’s time for someone- or EVERYONE- to die! Hupupupu, the Class Trial is here! Make your way to the Seal of Hope, and watch it seal your despair…

**< < CLICK >>**

Homura: ...So that’s it then.

Zeku: It must’ve been hidden or something, for them to only find it now.

Homura: I think we should get moving…

We both quickly moved to the “Seal of Hope” outside the sleeping area…

…

Deep in my stomach, I felt something twitching. It was like something buried itself there, it almost hurt, it-

_It’s alive?!_

I blinked, realizing I was sweating. However, no one noticed. Everyone else had their own nervous looks on their faces, a tenseness uniting those of us, with only Niwai’s unconscious form the exception.

_And of course, Seiko._

I shakily felt my stomach. It was normal, no twitches or lurches happening anymore. Breathing gently, I gave a look to Homura, who was squeezing my free hand. She gave me a nod.

Suddenly, descent.

Deeper,

And deeper,

And deeper,

And so deep,

That I felt even my thoughts sinking into hell.

_Yes… This shining room of gold, glamour, and gilded spectacle… It must be a living hell. This hell is the only life I’ve ever known._

???: Would you die or kill to escape it?

A girl stood outside the metallic doors of the elevator. She was familiar to me, but no one else paid her any heed. I looked around with my eyes, before turning back to-

_...Huh._

The wide, empty room opened up to us, those who hunt for the truth to save our lives. As well as the one who seeks to obscure the truth, and see us all die.

_...My name is Zeku. We are going into a golden room which will hold a Class Trial. We will find the murderer and see them proven guilty._

Zeku: ...Let’s get ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A LOT of personal shit led to delay on delay on delay. I'm writing this to the void, but you know. Whatever! Anyways I'll try my best to actually complete this lengthy exercise in madness as quickly as possible. It represents a lot to me, in a certain way. ...I may also do other lengthy exercises in madness, but you know. Also is it obvious what's going on yet or am I just playing 5D chess with myself again?


	14. A Disappointing End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You all knew this was coming. All none of you.

So, this isn't being finished ever. Probably. Definitely? Not sure.

The logical wording.

  * This was never about making a fanwork of Danganronpa, really. It was more my farewell to a series that once dominated my teenage years but left me jaded and disappointed as I aged.
  * This was always about being a conclusion to my relationship with Danganronpa. While this is a rewording of point A, it matters more for explaining the true purpose as opposed to an assumed purpose.
  * This was written with a criticism I hold in mind- Danganronpa holds more than a passing familiarity to the favorite series of games of mine, "Kill the Past," by Goichi Suda/Suda51 and Grasshopper Manufacture. Many of its elements are clearly inspired by or pay homage to Suda's work in Moonlight Syndrome, Killer7, and The Silver Case. However, these inspirations and homages end up feeling deeper- the whole crux of Danganronpa is instead but one element of a myriad of themes in The Silver Case. While Danganronpa speaks to a variety of characters, they hardly get ample time for development. It is not for the sake of telling a story where the shown details betray a larger world, but rather for cutting the filler and fat off of the main course. Comparatively, a game like The Silver Case or Killer7 makes a world full of characters who belie having whole legends of their own, but reminds you that you will not ever be able to witness it for yourself- much like in reality, you know everyone is a person, but you are unaware of the extent of them compared to yourself. Compare this to biographical information or backstories told for the purpose of explanation rather than simply details being basic assumptions of loose notes here and there... It begins to feel far more sharply fictional than "real" or believable.
  * Alongside this, I wished to develop my own writing style. While I succeeded in this by leaps and bounds, I failed in completion of the story itself. I grew dissatisfied and disappointed with the framework I thrust my ideas onto. "Danganronpa" could never hope to be what I wanted to make. Down to the cheeky disrespect-mixed-admiration for an old flame of mine, it just would not work.



The illogical word explosions.

  * I love Danganronpa. Despite this, I despise so much of it. The weird sexualization and mishandling of sexuality and gender, the characters introduced to great fanfare only to be turned into little more than devices to Do One Thing Important or deliver information anyone relevant could have just as easily before their expected death (unless you did the completely optional and rarely eye-opening side content of Free Time Events), hell even the global themes of "hope" versus "despair" piss me off in their weird attempts at being all-encompassing, detailed concepts and ideologies while simultaneously trying to be vague enough to fit an attempt at postmodernist thematic flexibility. Hell, the game itself sucks ass- it's not very well-designed, nor is it very well-paced. Some cases feel entirely like filler. Whole minigames are jokes in the sense of design (Hangman but obnoxious? Really?). Despite my disdain for these things, I still find myself enjoying the things that Danganronpa does right. The characters are colorful, expressive, and at least superficially interesting- when they're deep and interesting, they're fantastic. They always beg the imagination to wonder about what makes them the way they are, even if the answers ultimately end up being more than necessary or disappointing. Visually its striking and interesting. I wanted to capture my love and hate into tangible work, feelings into creation.
  * I love the notions of pushing fictional characters to breaking points human beings never should- but unfortunately do- experience. I enjoy the insane fiction and fantasy that could never be real, "but what if?" I wanted to write these characters with the intent of making them absolutely believe in the insane circumstances they experience, but for reasons that would make sense in their own logic and emotions (and through writing them sympathetically, the reader's understanding of the plot progression and emotional attachment). This writing was a fun exercise in that kind of thing... However...
  * My depressive moods have made it difficult to pull things out of darker areas. Alongside my shifting interest for Danganronpa, my attachment to characters married to something I care less and less for made pushing towards the proper conclusions I planned out more and more lacking in motivation. That, alongside having trouble just pushing myself to write the trial scene properly, just made this feel forced in a way that begged burnout or breakdown. I suppose I blame my autism more for this batch of depression than anything else.
  * More personal things have made this difficult in its own way, I suppose I should say.



* * *

That being said, I am a benevolent dictator. For those who were attached, I will say the entirety of the plot, and if I ever decide to come back to writing this, while main beats will be followed, extra details would be added (the depth, basically) and maybe even overt revisions? Whatever happens to the filler would be unclear. This is merely just to conclude the major themes of the plot (really, more to explain them- I don't think they were clear by this point, as I did not intend them to be).

Some things to note:

  * Each chapter ends with Ezequiel Arc.
  * Each investigation phase is played by Zeku, including a scene of meeting Zoi within the facility (despite her not really being there).
  * Each area becomes more and more abstract/unreal.



Ordered points:

  1. Trial 1 would be concluded with the revelation that Kazuto Romero, the Ultimate Pathologist, was indeed the culprit. In addition, the protagonist of Chapter 1, Yuriko Mori, the Ultimate Broker, would be confronted by them. The killing was done to isolate HER in particular, by the reasoning of a group we shall simply call "A Party." Despite this, Yuriko would accept the comfort from Agito Kan. Can love bloom in a life-or-death situation between an unhygienic shut-in and a dissociative tengu? Well... Anyways, the intermission regarding the investigator Ezequiel would reveal the group working with the production studio of the DanganRonpa project is in fact a bit suspect, potentially murderous and not caring for the life of plain citizens- shocking!
  2. Chapter 2 would focus instead on a depressed and conflicted Yusuke "Niwai" Yamashita, Ultimate eSports Manager, and reveal more things on the personal level of the characters rather than any setting intrigue. He would try his best to get people to just interact with one another without trying to fight, and end up forcing a nearly co-dependent Akemi Tanaka (Ultimate MMA Champ) to reconcile with Yuriko Mori (it fails). He would break his back in to get everyone to work together. Unfortunately, the motive would push another killing to occur- Niwai would perish, the killer being Jirou Inoue, the Ultimate Gamer. In the flashback scene, Niwai would recall his attempts to get the classmate Zoi to open up. She does not open up, until the moment when Niwai's insecurities creep in and make him realize the heat of the moment- he is dead, and she is willing to accept his care now that he is honest to his own pain rather than hiding it. This leads to an madhouse of a trial and investigation, where his brother, Koji Inoue the Ultimate Game Developer, only protects him because they (Koji) wish for him (Jirou) to bear the full responsibility of surviving. Koji is willing to die for Jirou. But Jirou wanted to save Koji with the accomplice license...and at the last moment, fails to inform the others of who he received it from. ...Also, Ezequiel and Ken order pizza, musing on the state of a post-post-apocalyptic world returning back to the norm. When pushed to pay, Ezequiel simply kills the deliverywoman after being fed up with her "parasitic" lifestyle. An awfully cold man who clings onto the status quo and detests those who represent deviations of it.
  3. Chapter 3 would focus on an isolated Akemi Tanaka trying to find people to be with. The motive would remind people of their pasts, right in the heart of the Event (the whole apocalyptic scenario of DanganRonpa). This would delve into Akemi's backstory as she reflects on it and decides to open up to, of all people, Yuriko, with Homura Shiraishi the Ultimate Neurosurgeon mediating. Forcibly included would be Agito Kan for their narcissistic reasons and Zeku for having worse physical reactions/seizures to mental issues when shown an utterly lacking past. As a result, Akemi comes out openly to these others about her past, to dispel the new motive and convince them to do the same. She is not merely transgender, but recalls a life of violent struggle in gladiator-style fighting against even other kids as young as her in brutal ways. Hence her fear of being too scary, her fear of actually fighting, her dependency on others for assurance and support- her overall meekness. She was helped by a doctor who helped her escape from a facility... But that's all she knows. Regardless, the victim of this case ends up being Roland Forbaid, the Ultimate Knight. The flashback reflects on the revelation they were in fact a plant in the class by "A Party," who wished to have them as a contingency for the case of any times where murders do not occur in the Killing Game. However, it shows how they deep down ended up forming deep bonds with Agito, who they saw as a "kindred spirit," and questioned the same about Zoi... The only one who does not break down to her, but instead simply says she is stronger by virtue of knowing herself as they take on the identity they are given, dying with it. Also revealed, however, is that Matsuken is the son of a major player in the A Party. Moving on... the trial ends up being lopsided. The killer reveals himself immediately- Naoto Pearlshores, the Ultimate Actor- or rather, an alter ego born of a need to kill to survive in the dark times, a serial killer of justice. However, defending him is Chika Itou, otherwise known as Sankero, the Ultimate Music Producer. She refuses to accept her friend is the killer, even if the reasoning was to protect not merely the secrets of others, but Chika was well, who was targeted by the "spy." ...Now, we learn- along with Ezequiel- that Hope's Peak was taken over by the A Party administration. Except suddenly, now a group we will refer to as the "B Group" took it over instead, and is repurposing the Killing Game to eliminate witnesses. Ezequiel is betrayed by Ken, who attempts to kill him. Ezequiel realizes the only way to get out of this is by getting to the main priority, and the wild card of the Killing Game cast- Agito Kan, a plant by the B Group.
  4. Chapter 4 would focus on Homura Shiraishi. She would focus on speaking to everyone to simply assess the mental health and survival of them, alongside talking directly to Monokuma- not as a spy or anything, but as someone "curious" for the Mastermind's mind. It is here that Zeku slowly comes into their own as a "secondary protagonist" as well. Helping to organize and rally everyone, they shift the leadership to themselves, getting people into a routine and investigating best they can again. However, we also learn through Homura directly of the new motive- a game, much like how SDR2 paid homage to Moonlight Syndrome. Here she would be given a horrific shock to the truth of her own past- alongside the pasts of Koji Inoue, Jirou Inoue, Akemi Tanaka, Matsuken, and various others- which would make her remember that she was one of several who were a part of the "inside squad" of A Party in setting up the Killing Game and overthrowing Makoto Naegi's run of Hope's Peak. Given this shock and realization, Homura realized such a motive would lead to nothing but a slaughter. People would kill each other out of paranoia, retribution, and whatever else. So Homura negotiates with Monokuma to ensure that only Zeku can play the game, alongside a special message from her, if they solve the case correctly. "What case?" Monokuma would've asked. Homura would've arranged her suicide at that moment. The flashback would reveal how the inside team operated, such as Roland's nebulous identity, and end with Homura apologizing to Zoi for being the reason she was "ruined" and "warped," with Zoi saying that there is nothing wrong with everyone being trapped in their circumstances. After, Zeku would learn the truth regarding A Party, and then from Homura the information regarding Monokuma as representing the B Group. It would have ruined Zeku to begin with... But not this one. ...Also, Ezequiel ends up kidnapping Agito Kan, who endlessly bothers him. He debates killing the teenager there, but holds off to try and make sense of the situation. The end result is them being caught by unknown assailants.
  5. Chapter 5 would be a double murder. Zeku, now the protagonist and purely proactive, would confide in Eun-Ji Han, the Ultimate Historian- or rather, Ultimate Hostage. A political tool important to the neighboring nation of South Korea due to post-post-apocalyptic political shenanigans, who would've been used to help throw everything into disarray and plunge the world into Despair again. Though not one permanent- it would have been as part of A Party and B Group's different plans on global conquest via a mass destabilization of all _but_ Japan. ...So, confiding in Eun-Ji, she tells Zeku she's genuinely terrified. She finds them equal parts admirable and insane, finding the thought of taking action to be horrifying. They would simply just use that day to embrace (PG-13. I never thought on canon ages, even though I'd probably go for closer to 18, and neither character would be the type to rush into things anyways) and recognize their feelings for one another. Following this, Zeku enacts a plan. Speaking with Monokuma, Zeku- now remembering more and more of _some_ life in Hope's Peak- believes the Mastermind to be someone who knew Makoto directly, in some way. Someone who idolized him and was near-obsessed, willing to do anything in his name. Someone manipulated to do such a horrific thing in the name of revenge for hope's death. Zeku asks if the rules for the next trial can be changed based on the conclusion they've drawn regarding where they are. Monokuma decides to humor this.
  6. Chapter 5-2, or Chapter 6, would be Zeku pushing Agito Kan to kill Matsuken and Daiki Maeda, the Ultimate Fisherman. These two represent the last remnants of B Group in the game- the remaining survivors (Koji, Akemi, Sankero, Zeku, Eun-Ji, Agito, Yuriko) are all not in points of leadership or the like. Zeku would make Agito do this due to the development of the conversations with Zoi- the revelation Zeku is not able to in fact impact or act, but merely impress or convince. It is not titled or anything... Just understand that the role in the plot is clearly established as something more equivalent to a force or compulsion. The result is Agito killing two who were responsible for their life's sudden twist at a young age in the first place (or at least the surrogates for that responsibility). Monokuma then would accept these as conditions for release- the prevention of Agito Kan being shaped by being the bloodless one in a horrific tragedy, saved by a sham of a rescue, and set as Emperor of Japan by the B Group to do their bidding through grooming that erases both of the personalities which were born from their initial trauma. Someone who lives on with reality, no matter how split, and assured by those who relate, care, or at the very least try to understand.
  7. The epilogue would go through each character. First, Ezequiel would come to the realization killing Agito is a necessity. Ezequiel would be spoken to by Zoi regarding this, who judges him for at the end of the day complying with the law (even in a position of power where he can bend the law). In killing Agito, Ezequiel would be able to prevent the Killing Game altogether and effectively save the world. However, to do so would throw into jeopardy his original goal in the first place- ensuring the Killing Game is carried out properly. Torn by this decision, we are left without ever knowing what he did. Sankero would speak to how her and Akemi ended up being a pair, trying to stay in contact with the others despite their meekness and settling down in Hokkaido. Koji would be on their own, trying to simply make sense of it all and questioning the reality of it as the logical sort. Yuriko and Agito would live in an underground life, speaking on the changing political landscape as the conspiracies unraveled all around them. Zeku and Eun-Ji would be alone, on an island unknown... Or rather, Eun-Ji would call out to whoever is on that island with her, their name beginning with a "Z."



And finally, some explanation.

  * The three Zs and constant references to Dissociative Identity Disorder would be referring to also things such as concepts of "alternate selves" and "alternate paths." In addition, for the protagonist especially, it would refer to notions of reincarnation in a spiritual sense, where in each situation we see a same starting point shaped by circumstance. A Z within society, shaped by its brutality into cruel realism and reality- a Z within society, shaped by its affections and friends into a dreamlike understanding and blissful space- a Z detached from these things, given the horrors of society but in an unreal world that slowly unravels around them as they become tighter, more sensible, more able to survive and cope with the extreme circumstances they were born in.
  * Agito Kan would have been Zeku's direct foil. Both dissociative, but one denied autonomy in the plot only to force their way in and the other given autonomy but denying it to simply be supportive.
  * I would probably not stick with the ending amount of survivors... The gender imbalance annoys me. I'd at least include Roland, maybe rewrite Daiki...



With all that said... I am very sorry to those who did want more to be written. While I won't return to this, I am considering writing a long-scale project of another franchise I am not so soured on. If you're into the Fate/Type-Moon franchise, keep an eye out I suppose.


End file.
